


SHSL Naekusaba shorts

by SHSL_ex_SOLDIER



Series: Naekusaba [4]
Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa IF - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-08-08 02:53:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 25,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7740604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SHSL_ex_SOLDIER/pseuds/SHSL_ex_SOLDIER
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For all your naekusaba needs.</p><p>*Compilation of posts written at the requests of the fandom.<br/>Taken from my tumblr, shsl-shipper-gamer-fangirl. You can request prompts there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Undisguised

Mukuro was locked out of her room.   
  
If she strained her ears hard enough, she could almost hear Junko laughing from afar… or was that her earpiece ringing from Junko’s cackling?   
  
Well this was problematic considering that:   
  
She wasn’t in disguise. No makeup. Not even her wig on.   
Someone might see her and get her cover blown.   
Of all the times that Junko could pull a prank, she chose now? Mukuro mentally sighed in frustration. Well at least it was harmless this time since she was alone in the hallway. In hindsight, she should have suspected something was up when Junko asked her to get out undisguised. It’s a bit shallow for a Junko prank but Mukuro assumed that it was just one of her twin’s random whims. Guess she just has to wait it out somewhere hidden until Junko decides to let her in again.   
  
It’s a good thing though that they implemented the curfew so no one should be out and about at this time.   
  
“Uh, excuse me.” A voice piped up from behind her.   
  
Mukuro dreaded turning around but she had to. And much to her horror, it was none other than Makoto who was just as confused as her.   
  
“Junkooo!” She internally screamed. Why didn’t her sister warn her? Even worse, why didn’t she even notice him?? Junko always did tell her that Mukuro was too used to Makoto’s presence that he never registered as a threat in her radar but it’s only now that Mukuro believes her twin.   
  
But still! This was a serious problem which could sabotage their whole plan altogether just overnight. And yet for some reason Junko was dead silent on the other end of the line. Mukuro was panicking despite her stoic face.   
  
“Sorry but uh, who are you?” He politely questioned her even when wary.   
  
Quick! She thought! Maybe she could still pull this off! Maybe! Somehow?!   
  
“O-oh! Hahaha, you caught me, Makoto!” She laughed weakly as she did her Junko persona even though it felt weirder doing it without the matching disguise. She then leaned in and whispered in his ear. “Please don’t tell anyone about this. This will be our little secret” She pulled back as she winked flirtatiously at him.   
  
She sincerely prayed that he bought it.   
  
“Junko?” Makoto asked skeptically.   
  
“Y-yeah! That’s me! THE Junko Enoshima!” She said a little too loudly.   
  
“But you look so…” He trailed off as his eyes scrutinized her appearance.   
  
“Different?” Mukuro felt a bit too self-conscious with his calculating gaze on her but she did her best effort to not let it show. For now, she still had to convince him with her on the spot excuse. “Yeaaaah, about that. I’m a model. I wear wigs and makeup all the time. Like literally, ALL THE TIME.”   
  
“Is that so?” He narrowed his eyes on her.   
  
“Y-yeah. That so.” She smiled perkily at him even as she sweatdropped.   
  
A long tense silence passed between them.   
  
“Oh, well I guess that makes sense. That actually explains a lot.” Makoto said nonchalantly with an understanding smile. “You still sounded the same but I had to check cause, you know.”    
  
“Yeah, I know.” Mukuro let out a huge internal sigh of relief. She was out of the fire for now but she had to make sure she wouldn’t be facing this crisis again. So she grabbed him by shoulders and leaned in to whisper again. “But keep this all under the lid! I don’t want the rest to know, ya know?”   
  
He nodded fervently. “Of course. Your secret’s safe with me.”    
  
She squeezed him into an awkward hug (which made both of them blush by the way) and then let him go with a toothy smile and with an also somewhat flushed face. “Thanks a bunch, Naegi ol’ buddy!”    
  
“No problem. You can trust me!” He said as he pumped his chest with his fist.   
  
“Exactly the words I want to hear.” She seconded.   
  
Except she didn’t expect the rest of his words.   
  
“Oh, and I think you look better without the wig and makeup.” He casually voiced out his honest opinion. “You look cute.” He added with a sincere smile.   
  
“…!”   
  
The blush on her face just emphasized her freckles.   
  
Before she could even form a coherent response, he already bid her a farewell. “Good night, Junko!”   
  
And as he retreated back to his room, as her own room unlocked, as Junko laughed from afar, none of that barely registered to Mukuro. Even as she returned inside her room, minutes after it was unlocked, she was still caught in daze as her mind replayed what just happened before.   
  
Cute. He called her cute.    
  
Without the disguise on.   
  
Cute. He called her cute    
  
And if only Mukuro had checked the mirror, she would have seen herself not only blushing… but also smiling even if only just a little bit.


	2. Freckles

Mukuro did not like freckles.   
  
She’s been overly conscious of hers ever since Junko pointed them out as ugly and/or weird and she’s made sure to remind Mukuro of this fact every single day of her life. Despite the two being twins, somehow only Mukuro got freckles and so she was dubbed the plain and boring one. She’s gotten so used to all the insults which came with them that she started believing them. Hence, her current dislike for freckles. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say that it was her past dislike for freckles.   
  
Apparently, she’s not the only one with freckles.   
  
She found this out by accident during PE while the whole class was using the pool. Through an odd string of incidents, Makoto almost drowned that day. Almost. If it weren’t for Mukuro who noticed what was happening when everyone else thought that he wasn’t in any danger then there would have been another track on his health record.    
  
Because she was always looking out for him (and looking at him) she saw the signs of struggle early on. She managed to scoop him up and out of the water before he could pass out. He coughed violently as soon as they were out and she had to pat him on the back to help him get the rest of the water out of his system. It’s only then that she noticed something about his back.   
  
Makoto had freckles.   
  
They were small, light and almost invisible but they were there. And they were… cute. Mukuro didn’t understand where this thought came from but she knew this to be true. As much as she disliked freckles, hers in particular, she couldn’t help but stare at his. She couldn’t help but feel an affinity to them and she wondered if this was what he felt like when he slipped that one time and told her that her freckled looked cute.   
  
“L-Looks like I owe you one again.” Makoto said in between coughs.   
  
“You have freckles.” Mukuro blankly said, completely ignoring his previous remark.   
  
“What?” He asked confusedly and for a second he stayed lost but then he realized what she was talking about. “You mean on my back? Yeah, I do.”   
  
“You never said you had them.” She deadpanned.   
  
“You never asked?” He hesitantly replied. He’s not really sure what she was thinking or what she meant by that. “Why? Is something wrong with them?”   
  
“No, not at all.” She readily answered. And then she had to will herself through the embarrassment as she flushed and softly mumbled her next words, “They’re… cute.”   
  
“Oh!” Now it was his turn to blush in embarrassment. “Well if you say so.”    
  
The blushes on both of them just emphasized their freckles.    
  
“But yours definitely look cuter!” He insisted with a smile.   
  
Mukuro did not like freckles but Makoto has her convinced of otherwise.


	3. Law of Equivalent Exchange

Mukuro refused to leave Makoto’s side.   
  
“You don’t have to go so far for me.”   
  
“I do. I have yet to repay my debt.”   
  
This has been going on for almost a month now. At first it was fine since Makoto enjoyed her presence. She was usually distant and hardly took initiative when it came to interaction so it was nice to have her around. It was also kind of cute how she tried to pretend that she just so happened to be within the area. After the first week, he confirmed that it wasn’t just coincidence and that she was honestly trying to stay near him. Upon confrontation, he found out that she was just expecting an opportunity for her to return the favor.   
  
Makoto felt so honored at her dedication even when the said favor was actually something small. He told her that if she kept stalking him then people could get the wrong idea so he advised that it was better that she was beside him rather than suspiciously lurking in the shadows. That was bad advice.   
  
Mukuro has been beside him almost all the time ever since. And as much as he liked having her around, this was getting ridiculous. (A part of him also wanted her to stick with him out of choice not out of duty.) He’s even more surprised that nothing horrible has yet to happen to him. Considering his streak of bad luck, oddly enough nothing strange or dangerous has ever happened to him the whole time that warranted her help.   
  
That’s why she’s still here stubbornly beside him.   
  
“Really, I appreciate what you’re doing but you shouldn’t push yourself.” He calmly insisted for the nth time.   
  
“But I owe you.” She retorted matter-of-factly.   
  
“No, you don’t.” He shook his head and gently laid down the facts. “I helped you. You don’t owe me anything for that.”   
  
She tilted her head, slightly confused. “But that won’t be fair to you.”   
  
“Like I said, you don’t have to feel the need to repay me.” He repeated.   
  
It didn’t look like she was going to back down from this anytime soon.   
  
“But if it really is that important to you then…” He held his chin in thought for a few seconds and then clapped as soon as an idea hit him. “How about this? Help me buy some ice cream and then we’ll call it even.”   
  
“That’s it?” She asked incredulously. “There must be more I can do.”   
  
“I think this is more than enough considering you just owe me for taking over your cleaning duty because you had to do an errand for Junko.” He chuckled lightly as he remembered the reason that started all this.   
  
“Well… I guess that’s… fair enough.” She hesitantly agreed.   
  
“Great!” He beamed gratefully. “Now let’s go get some ice cream!”    
  
He should have known better than to trust his good luck streak.   
  
The ice cream date turned into an almost accident. If it weren’t for Mukuro, then Makoto would have ended up in a hospital and with ruined ice cream, both were devastating tragedies in their own right. And as Mukuro held him bridal style as well as their ice cream cones meticulously clutched in one hand, Makoto couldn’t help but realize what this meant to both of them.   
  
“Looks like you don’t owe me anymore.” Makoto remarked lamely.   
  
“Maybe.” Mukuro deadpanned. “Maybe not.”   
  
Even with her debt paid, Mukuro refused to leave Makoto’s side.


	4. Get Wrecked

Nobody ever laid their hands on Makoto. Literally.

Before they could even land a hit, Mukuro was already there unleashing a counter at the fucker who even dared hurt him.

This time the unfortunate soul was Juzo. No matter how powerful the punches of the Ultimate Boxer was, it was useless if it never landed. As Juzo tried to sucker punch Makoto, Mukuro quickly intervened and redirected his fist so that it would punch the air which caused him to lose balance. With that opening, Mukuro hastily landed a couple of hits on him, all of which were on his pressure points, and within just one second, he was defeated just like that.

He had fallen down paralyzed but conscious enough to feel himself stripped of his dignity in just an instant. A number of people in the room had their weapons aimed at her but it was already a second too late. The damage had been done. Makoto was unscathed and so was Mukuro, meanwhile Juzo struggled with his limp body on the floor.

"The fuck did you just do, bitch?" He swore at her.

"Self-defense." She answered back stoically. "Nothing lethal."

"What the fuck? I didn't even do anything!" He yelled at her.

"You were about to punch him. Unnecessarily." She menacingly narrowed her eyes at him. "I wasn't just about to watch unprovoked violence."

"You bitch!" He shouted angrily.

"Asshole." She muttered silently.

Before things could escalate any further, a voice of reason cut through.

"Let's all just calm down first." Makoto intervened and then turned his attention to his unofficial bodyguard. He smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you, Mukuro. For looking out for me."

"No problem." She muttered as she looked away, slightly flushed.

"Please excuse our brashness." He bowed to the rest of the occupants in the room. "Now shall we discuss?"

But before they could even come to a final decision, they were unceremoniously tossed into a killing game.

Now not only was Makoto labeled a traitor, he was also hunted as one.

Unfortunately for his assailants, he had the best bodyguard with him. Before they could capture him, Mukuro threw one of the shards from the chandelier at a fire extinguisher, filling the room with its fumes. Amidst the chaos, she grabbed Makoto and slipped outside. She was about to run faster but noticed that he was lagging behind.

"What's wrong?" She asked him as she worriedly checked behind them for any pursuants.

"Ah, well. You see..." He then showed her his bracelet and his NG code.

Can't run in hallways.

Oh. Oh, so that's why. And then she looked at hers.

Can't piggyback a person.

"It can't be helped then." She said as she approached him.

And easily lifted him into a bridal carry.

"Eh? Ehhhh?" He yelled in shock.

"Hold on." She deadpanned as she sprinted forward.

"N-Not so fast!" He screamed as he huddled closer to her.

Nobody ever laid their hands on Makoto and Mukuro would be damned if anything happened to him on her watch.


	5. Bodyguard

Mukuro was determined to protect Makoto.

Ever since they escaped from the high school life of mutual killing, she hasn't left his side ever since. She swore upon her life that she wouldn't let any harm come to him if she could prevent it. That's why she tagged along when he was summoned by the Future Foundation.

Even though they were the organization that picked them up once they got out to the real world, that didn't mean she trusted them. They were wary at least and spartan at most. She only barely got away with her probation if it weren't for Makoto defending her, then they would have killed her on the spot. Granted of course that their reasons were justified for she was former Ultimate Despair and right hand to the mastermind that caused the world to fall apart. But the fact remained that they were merciless to the enemies of hope.

And to them, Makoto was no hero. He was a traitor.

They were branding him as a traitor for rescuing the Remnants of Despair. This was a crime of serious degree and they wanted justice. He on the other hand, just wanted to save them. He only did what he believed in, what he embodied of, he only tried to fill them with hope. And now he was going to get trialed for it.

But the punishment never happened. Instead, something worse occured.

Now they were stuck in another killing game.

They escaped the first one only to participate in this one.

Even worse, the odds were stacked up against them. Everyone else was convinced that Makoto was the traitor and two of them were even resorting to violent methods. And although Mukuro could easily defend themselves against them, she wouldn't. She couldn't. All she could do was run away. All she could do was run for him who couldn't run at all. It was frustrating as to how helpless she felt.

No matter how talented she was as a soldier, it was useless against her Forbidden Rule.

Cannot fight back.

Of all the damn rules she could have gotten, it just had to be this one. As a person who has known to be anything but a soldier, here she was stuck in a dangerous situation and unable to defend herself. Now what use was her talent? What else was she supposed to do? How else was she to protect him?

"Mukuro? You okay?" Makoto asked her worriedly.

She blinked back. "Yeah... I'm fine." And then she discreetly checked him for injuries for the nth time as she asked in concern, "You didn't get hurt, did you?"

He shook his head and smiled at her lopsidedly. "Nope, I'm totally safe. Thanks to you."

"That's good." She let out a sigh of relief but it only lasted for a moment. She then frowned slightly as she muttered, "Sorry..."

He asked her, confused, "Why are you apologizing?"

"Because I can't be of much help." She answered bitterly as her fists clenched in frustration. "This is all I can do. I can't fight back." She curled up into a ball as she said through gritted teeth, "I'm useless."

Because I can't protect you.

"You've got that wrong." Makoto firmly objected.

He was always the voice of reason, the voice of kindness, the voice of HOPE.

"You're not useless at all." He leaned torward her as he tried his hardest to convince her of her worth. "And you saved me earlier didn't you?"

Why do you believe in me so much?

She guiltily looked away. "I just carried you and ran away."

"And because you did that, we managed to avoid fighting altogether." He pointed out.

"We just got lucky with the escape this time." She muttered dejectedly. "Maybe next time we won't be. And I..." She paused as her nails dug deeper into her skin. Her voice sounded so small, so vulnerable, and just so scared. Not for her. She was scared for him.

She didn't know what she'd do if anything ever happened to him and the though that she couldn't do anything about it terrified her more than the risk of losing her life. Even if she supposedly broke her Forbidden Rule to save him, just who would protect him afterwards?

She hopelessly whispered, "I won't be able to fight back when next time happens."

How does one protect without fighting when all she knew was how to fight?

Makoto just smiled softly as he shook his head and wisely told her, "We don't need to fight back. We just need to work together."

Don't need to fight? Work together?

She snorted. "Good luck with getting everyone together."

"Ahaha, nice one, Mukuro." He chuckled weakly and then quickly sobered up. "But seriously, you should give yourself more credit. You're doing the best you can."

This was her best?

"It's not enough." She rebuffed. It's never enough. Not against them. Since she couldn't fight back then... "I can't protect you."

"You can. You've been protecting me all this time." He insisted. "Fighting isn't always the answer. You can protect me in other ways."

"Other ways?" She asked him curiously.

He nodded as he smiled tenderly at her. "Just stay by my side. That's more than enough for me. Stay by my side like always."

His hand found hers.

Mukuro stared at their joined hands and her gaze travelled upward until she saw his bright and grinning face filled with so much resolve, with so much trust, with so much hope. He was overflowing with all these that it was almost infectious. She stared back at her hand and at her bracelet with its NG code flashing mocked her, but that didn't matter.

Because all she was their hands holding on to each other.

She smiled softly. "Like always."

And then she laced her fingers with his.

Mukuro was determined to protect Makoto even if she couldn't fight back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm seriously considering extending this to a full oneshot once the series ends.  
> If you'd like to see that and/or have any ideas, please feel free to talk to me :)


	6. First Smile

Mukuro didn’t know his name.

After all, he was just another stranger in this world full of people. And Mukuro wasn’t interested in people unless it was her sister or targets that Fenrir has her assigned to. That’s why when she first crossed paths with him, she didn’t even give him a second glance. With the first one, she’s already confirmed that he was harmless so there was no need for a second evaluation. And so, she expected to have nothing to do with him.

She didn’t expect him to smile.

A lot of things happened in between. It was a series of events which only happened because of remarkable coincidences but one thing led to another and she ended up helping him. He thanked her in return and even went so far as to smile at her.

It was the brightest smile she had ever seen.

It was the first smile she had ever received.

It’s only then that Mukuro remembered of how people could smile-- of how people could smile at her. No one has ever done that to her. Not the people she’s killed, not the guys back at Fenrir, not even Junko smiled at her. That’s why when this total stranger did smile at her, she was completely entranced.

But since it was her first smile, she didn’t know what to do or what to say so in the end, she did nothing but stare at him blankly. He showered her with more gratitude and then shortly after, they went their separate ways. But even long after the incident, she was still not over it. She could not forget the memory of her first smile. As days passed and she continued to change, one thing remained constant in her mind.

His smile lingered.

And later on, they’d meet again.

Mukuro didn’t know his name but she recognized his smile.


	7. Marking Territory

Mukuro does not get jealous.

Not even when there’s some other girl talking to Makoto. Even when the said girl is not really talking but actually flirting with him. Even when that same girl has been touchy feely over him and he’s too oblivious to notice all the attempts the girl has made within just five minutes. Even when that annoying girl tried to kiss him on the cheek and he luckily missed it because he tripped over nothing again.

Even when Mukuro has every reason to be, Mukuro does not get jealous.

However, what she does instead is walk over to where Makoto is. In just a few long strides, she’s already in front of him and in between the two of them. The annoying girl stares at her skeptically and Mukuro’s face is as blank as ever. Makoto on the other hand is a bit concerned as to her sudden appearance and she didn’t even bother to greet him which couldn’t be a good sign. He opened his mouth to greet her–

Only to have her mouth thoroughly kiss his.

Makoto gasps at the sudden and open display of affection to which Mukuro just hums in approval. Her kiss is passionate and demanding, and he almost loses himself in it. Until he remembers that they have an audience. He flushes harder as she continues to kiss him. He tries to pull back but her hands on his face keeps him in place and she only kisses him harder.

He groans out in pleasure and she just smirks against his mouth.

The annoying girl has long since left them but they barely even notice her gone. Well, Mukuro noticed. She had been eyeing her the whole time she was kissing Makoto. The sweetness of Makoto’s mouth and the satisfying taste of victory was a combination of flavors she enjoyed thoroughly as she continued to makeout with him.

Mukuro does not get jealous. She only gets even.


	8. Self-Defense

Naegi was in dire need of self-defense lessons.

It became apparent with his luck that he was more often than not, involved in scuffles and coincidentally, a lot of threats on his life. It's only through that same sheer luck that got him in those messes in the first place that also gets him out of them. And Ikusaba worried for him should one day come that his luck wouldn't be enough.

Hence, she suggested to teach him basic self-defense. He eagerly agreed to it to which she internally sighed in relief. The greatest hurdle for her was asking him in the first place and although she didn't show it, she was extremely nervous throughout the exchange. That's why she couldn't help but smile faintly when he accepted her proposal.

She thought that it was going to go smoothly after that. She didn't know better. She didn't expect just how hard it was to teach him this.

"Wait, so I have to break their arm?" He asked in concern.

"Yes." She answered promptly.

He frowned as if he was hurt by just that idea itself. "But I don't want to break their arm."

She stared back at him with a blank face and her tone flat. "Naegi, if you don't break their arm, then they will slit your throat."

"Oh..." He paused and for a moment she thought that it was finally getting through his head just how dangerous this scenario was but, "Well... is there any other way where I don't break their arm?"

Classic Naegi. He always puts other's safety first before his even if it's his attacker.

They've been at this for a while now. Every time Ikusaba introduced a new scenario and consequently, a move to counter it, Naegi would question her methods. If it was anything remotely painful then he would grimace and plead with her to teach him something else, something that wasn't as harmful. And she's been doing her best trying to explain to him that sometimes it was necessary to harm the other person especially when they weren't as merciful as him.

Even if they were out to kill him, Naegi was still too kind and considerate of them.

And as touching as his sentiment was, they were getting nowhere with this. At this rate, he might just end up dead all because he hesitated from punching someone who was about to stab him. She didn't want that to happen to him. That was the point of this lesson. He had to learn to defend himself when the situation arises and given his track record, there's always something going on with him. If he was going to learn anything today then she had to rethink her teaching methods.

"How about we start with moves that only use holds, ya?" She suggested evenly. "It's the least pain you can inflict and you don't have to sprain or break anything."

"Hmm, that sounds like something I can do." He nodded in approval.

"Great. Then let's start." Ikusaba said as she pulled him along.

And they ended up in a position where Naegi was on top of her, his knees folded on either side of her hips and his hands were precariously on her shoulders as she laid openly beneath him.

"W-W-What?" Naegi stammered as he blushed furiously.

Oblivious to just how suggestive their position was, Ikusaba started to explain, "Okay so when you're pinned down like with your arms free, what you want to do is to get your attacker off you first."

She then lightly bucked her hips at him, much to his surprise as he yelped. "Ack!" And he just blushed harder.

"So raise up your hips and at the same time, hold their arms." She continued as she placed her hands on his elbows.

Her gaze was steady and calculating and just honestly distracting for him.

He gulped audibly.

"And then you push them over like this." She said as she then jerked her hips upward and simultaneously pulled his arms to the side causing him to lie flat on the ground within moments. "Then you can just put them in an arm lock and the beat them while they're still down."

He just stared back at her wildly and slightly panting.

"Think you can do that?" She innocently asked, completely unaware as to what she just did to him and his maybe not so innocent mind.

"Y-Yeah, I think so." He answered shakily.

"Good." She smirked.

And in the next moment, she was the one pinning him down.

Ikusaba breathe down on him as she challenged him, "Now try to do what I did."

Naegi was in dire need of self-defense lessons... among other things.

 

Alternate Ending:

Naegi was in dire need of self-defense lessons. But until he actually learns from them, there's always Ikusaba who could defend for him in a heartbeat.


	9. Only Weakness

Mukuro Ikusaba was virtually without weakness.

Physically at least.

She's aware that she's not that adept socially what with her awkwardness and difficulty adjusting to society but physically, she was almost unmatched. Her fighting prowess with weapons was to be feared of and her hand to hand combat capabilities were to strive for. And to top it all off, she had real experience from actual battlefields and she's never gotten a single injury from them. Truly, she was the closest thing to unbeatable. Aside from a select few such as the SHSL Martial Artist, no one could defeat her in a fight.

Unless they knew her weakness. Unless of course, you're Makoto Naegi.

Ever since he found out about her weakness, he's never lost in a fight against her. Well, if you could call those fights anyways. There was less fighting and more flirting involved.

And a lot of tickling.

"S-Stop! I give! I give!" Mukuro shrieked in between bouts of laughter.

"Nope! I'm never gonna give you up!" Makoto teased as his fingers continued their attack on her sides.

"H-Hey! Ahaha!" Mukuro wheezed until she could no longer take it anymore. Her hands shot out and stopped him at his wrists as she breathily ordered him, "I said stop."

Makoto looked back at her with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

He smirked as he fearlessly challenged her, "Make me."

Mukuro Ikusaba was virtually without weakness but Makoto Naegi knew otherwise.

BONUS: They ended up making out. As usual. And maybe even more-- if you know what I mean *wags eyebrows at you*


	10. First Injury

Mukuro has never had a single injury in her life.

This was an impressive feat considering that she's SHSL Soldier and that she's been on battlefields which were worse than average because Fenrir missions were anything but average. She's been through hell and back more times than even some veterans. And the most remarkable thing about this was that she's never gotten any injury from these. She always came out unharmed and unscathed. She was just that formidable in combat.

However, she's only human. One day, she finally received her first injury.

And surprisingly, it's not even on the battlefield. Mukuro was injured at school.

She has prepared herself for war. She has prepared herself for school. She has prepared herself for the possibility of war at school. She has prepared for countless scenarios and has a carefully thought out plan on how to deal with them. But nothing could have prepared her for this.

It was during one ordinary day when it happened. Mukuro was again running errands for her twin so she ended up staying late at school. Once she had finished with her tasks, she made her way back to the classroom to retrieve her things. That's when an unsuspecting Mukuro opened the sliding door--

Only to catch a view of Makoto in the middle of changing, shirtless and his pants unbuckled with his boxers teasingly peeking.

A pregnant pause passed between them.

And then Mukuro immediately slammed the door shut. She didn't even bother to wait and get her bag which was still in the room. She just went straight home right after not even daring to look back. It's only when she got to her room and saw herself in the mirror that she realized that it wasn't just her face which was red.

Mukuro has never had a single injury in her life. Until she had a nosebleed over Makoto.


	11. Just Get Together Already

Mukuro and Makoto weren’t going out yet-- much to the frustration of everybody else.

“So you tied the knot yet? Please tell me you’ve tied tongues at least.” Junko wagged her eyebrows at them suggestively.

“Sis!” Mukuro shrieked as she blushed furiously.

“But you guys are just so SLOW!” Junko complained loudly complete with wild hand gestures. “Like seriously, you two know you like each other. The WHOLE class knows you like each other. Hell, even the principal knows!” She hollered. “So why the fuck aren’t you two doing something about it!”

“Well maybe the whole class and the principal should I don’t know--” Makoto paused. “Mind their own business?”

“Sorry, man. We’re already invested in this.” Leon commented from the side.

“Yeah, we’re betting on you guys getting together.” Hagakure scratched his chin as he said this. “And I need to win my bet!”

“Dumbass! He’s not supposed to know about the bets.” Mondo swore.

“Language, bro!” Ishismaru admonished him. “And no, we are not betting. That is not welcome in a school environment.”

“Yes, that’s why we do it after class.” Celes giggled. “It’s counted as extra-curricular activities.”

“By the way, if you do some fanservice for us, we’re willing to share the winnings. We also have a running poll for your couple activities.” Hifumi excitedly explained.

“Wait, you guys are seriously betting on us?” Makoto asked them incredulously.

“It’s not really about the bet.” Chihiro piped in. “It’s more of a show of our support.”

“That’s right! We just want you two to be happy!” Asahina cheerfully seconded. “And you two are the happiest when you’re together!”

“T-Thanks...?” Mukuro flushed, not quite sure how to reply to that.

“We believe that you two are just prolonging the inevitable.” Sakura wisely pointed out.

“Hurry up and tell her, Naegi.” Byakuya sternly ordered him.

“J-Just move on with your relationship arc already.” Fukawa commented. “That way there’s room for development for the rest of us here.”

“Why do I feel so attacked right now?” Makoto muttered to himself.

“And Mukuro, don’t be too shy.” Sayaka encouragingly told her. “It’s alright for the girl to make the first move sometimes.”

“Yes, try not to expect so much from Makoto.” Kyouko added.

“Hey! I heard that!” Makoto commented from the sidelines.

“I’ll... keep that in mind.” Mukuro hesitantly accepted their advice.

“Yeah, well now that you’ve heard the pleas of the people, ya both better hold up your end.” Junko playfully winked at them. “Less talking and more dating!”

“Sis! Stop!” Mukuro with a flushed face, hissed at her twin.

“You guys have way too much free time.” Makoto sighed exasperatedly.

Mukuro and Makoto weren’t going out yet no matter how much everyone else wanted them to.

BONUS: Alternate ending

“Well, that was... something.” Mukuro blankly commented.

“Yeah, right.” Makoto sighed as he then lamented, “Now how are we going to tell them that we’re already going out?”

And then just like always, SHE appeared out of nowhere at the most inappropriate times.

“DID I HEAR THAT RIGHT?” Junko loudly and rudely intervened, “Nevermind. That was a rhetorical question. I definitely heard it right. NO TAKEBACKS!”

“Oh, great. The last person we want for advice.” Makoto mumbled as he dragged his hand over his face in frustration.

“I’ll have you know that I am an excellent adviser.” Junko huffed indignantly. “Anyways, I’m telling the whole class about this. They’ll totally be stoked!”

“Sis, you have your camera with you, right?” Mukuro asked.

“Yup! Always ready to snatch me some juicy gossip!”

And just like that, without warning, Mukuro pulled in Makoto for a kiss.

She couldn’t care less if the whole class knew. At least with this, they’d finally stop bothering them. Now that they were officially dating, it wasn’t the class’ business anymore to investigate them and intrude on their privacy.

Mukuro and Makoto were going out already so everyone else can go fuck off.


	12. Of Fears and How to Conquer Them

Mukuro, just like everyone else, was afraid of a few things.

Among the list was of course having anything untoward happen to her sister, Junko and by extension, to her friends as well. There’s also the fear of her own helplessness and death but that’s really to a lesser degree. Those were fears that everyone else had. As for her, she’s not really that scared of death since there’s something else more disconcerting for her. There’s one thing on the list that truly scares her more than anything.

Mukuro was afraid of the paranormal.

She could easily deal with blood thirsty murdering psychopaths or a hoard of gunmen charging at her but she could never handle a ghost. She just doesn’t know how to deal with them. Bullets or knives don’t work on ghosts so how could she defend against one? Her talent was utterly useless against them. That’s why she has never been fond of anything related to the paranormal because it just reminds her of how helpless she’ll be when facing one. She’s successfully avoided materials containing this topic.

Unfortunately though, she ended up watching a horror movie about them.

She’s not sure if it’s because she hasn’t seen one in a long time or if this particular movie was just too scary but she was absolutely terrified all throughout. And because she was with someone, she couldn’t just excuse herself and leave in the middle of the movie. Closing her eyes didn’t help either since she just imagined something worse instead. So Mukuro was forced to literally face her fears for one whole hour and a half.

She’s still not sure how she survived that.

“That sure was... something, huh.” Makoto commented as the credits rolled. “Who knew that the tickets Junko gave us were for this horror show? It even had such a misleading title ‘Watching Over You’ although now that we watched it, the title makes sense now. Creepy sense.”

Mukuro on the other hand was still too stunned to even hear him, much less reply properly.

“I guess it wasn’t so bad for a horror movie.” He continued and when she didn’t reply, it made him worry a bit. “Are you okay?” He asked as he touched her shoulder.

Which made her almost shriek and jump in her seat.

“Ah!” She squeaked as she looked at him with wide and terrified eyes.

Well, that was... unexpected for him.

“Could it be? You were... scared?” He carefully asked.

“No...” She denied. This was a lie. She totally was scared.

“It’s alright. Everyone is afraid of something. I won’t judge you for that.” He gently comforted her. “If anything, you should have told me that you weren’t okay with this. Then we would’ve gone and watched something else.”

“But the tickets...” She argued weakly.

“Were already paid for by Junko.” He sternly rebuffed and then sighed. “In hindsight, that should’ve raised flags. Never trust anything that comes from her especially if it’s free.”

Mukuro bit her lip. “I didn’t want to ruin your fun. You just looked so excited to watch this,”

“Not really.” He shrugged and then shyly rubbed the back of his neck like he always did whenever he was embarrassed. “I was more excited over the fact that we were going out.”

“...!”

Both of them blushed furiously at this. And for once, Mukuro is grateful for the darkness of the theater.

Makoto coughed. “Look, just tell me if you’re not comfortable with anything. There’s no point if you’re not having a good time.”

“But I am having a good time.” She countered and in a softer voice she continued, “As long as it’s with you.”

“...!”

They both flushed harder.

He unconsciously touched his hot and embarrassed face as he stammered, “Alright. Just speak up next time, okay?”

“Okay.” She nodded.

And in the darkness, their hands found each other’s.

“But for now, let me hold your hand.” Makoto said as he beamed at her. “It’s not so scary anymore like this. Right?”

Her gaze went to their connected hands and to his bright and smiling face.

More than fear, more than anything else, Mukuro felt warm and safe.

And loved.

“You’re right.” She smiled faintly. “It’s not scary at all.”

Mukuro was afraid of a few things but thankfully she had Makoto to help her get over her fears.


	13. Junko Hijacks Mukuro's Date

Makoto was waiting at a cafe for Mukuro since he was expecting her.

What he didn’t expect was for a dressed up Mukuro to stroll in through the doors.

“Hey, Mukuro. You look...” Makoto trailed as he fumbled with the right word to describe her. He tentatively described her, “Different.”

“Different, not nice?” ‘Mukuro’ fished for compliments.

“Well you do look nice.” He admitted weakly. “I guess I’m just not used to seeing you like this.”

“I just wanted to try something new.” She said as she stiffly twirled a bit, the frills on her dress puffed in the air. “Don’t you like it?”

“I...” He hesitated. And then gave her a weak smile, not really answering her question. “How about we order some drinks?”

“Alright.” She answered, a bit dismayed that he was dodging her question.

Well that was just a minor setback. Here was Junko dressed up as Mukuro all dolled up and Makoto didn’t have a clue. She was getting a kick out of this. She’s not sure anymore if she’s doing this to impress him for her sister or to mess with him for her entertainment. At first she just wanted to try this out and see if it could work but now that it did, she wanted to see how far she could push this. If she knew it was going to be this fun to go out disguised as her twin, she should have done this ages ago!

Everything was going all according to Junko’s plan.

Until she accidentally spilled some of her iced latte on her.

“Goddammit! Shit!” She cursed out loud.

“Are you okay?” Makoto asked worriedly as he hand her tissues but there was also something else other than concern in his gaze. He looked at her warily and then flatly called out her name. “...Junko?”

Shit.

“What? What are you saying?” Junko feigned ignorance as she continued her Mukuro spiel.

“Junko.” Makoto eyed her evenly.

Dammit. And she was doing so well.

“Tch.” She clicked her tongue in annoyance and then her true personality surfaced. “What gave me away?”

Naegi chuckled slightly as he gestured towards her dress. “Mukuro would never wear something so... impractical.”

“Yeah, well what if I made her?” She crossed her arms at him, still vexed that she got caught so early on.

“True.” He agreed and then he smiled knowingly. “But no matter how uncomfortable her outfit is, her reflexes would still be better.”

Junko was about to argue back but someone walked into the cafe and joined in their conversation.

“Junko? What are you doing here?” It was Mukuro, the real deal.

“What am I doing? What are YOU doing here?” Junko shot back. “I thought I told you to stay at home because Makoto cancelled.”

Mukuro raised her phone. “Makoto texted me.”

“What?” She looked back at Makoto in disbelief who gave her a guilty smile. “Since when?”

“Since you walked through the door.” He shrugged nonchalantly.

Wow, mad props to him for catching her that fast.

“Damn, either I suck at this whole impersonating thing or you’re head is just full of my sister.” Junko whistled in approval and also in teasing. “And I won’t accept the one that portrays me with poor acting skills. You totally have the hots for my sis!”

Both Mukuro and Makoto blushed furiously at Junko’s words.  
“S-shut up!” He stammered lamely.

“Anyways, three is a crowd so I’ll take this as my cue to cart-thirdwheel out.” Junko nonchalantly declared as she playfully winked at them. “You kids better behave, okay?”

“Junko, please!” Mukuro attempted to get her to stop talking.

She only continued teasing them with a coy smile, “No wait, better yet. Misbehave! You have my blessing!!”

It took a lot of teasing (all from Junko) before she finally left the two alone to deal with... whatever Junko has left them with.

Mukuro started by bowing to Makoto and apologizing. “Whatever my sister did, I apologize.”

“Hey, it’s okay. No need to apologize.” Makoto reassured her. ”I know what it’s like to have troublesome siblings.”

“But still. Junko caused a lot of trouble today.” She frowned slightly.

“And you’re a victim in this as much as I am.” He gently consoled her and then smiled warmly at her. ”So let’s call it quits and get that coffee we promised?”

“...Okay.” She agreed and in a smaller voice, she added, ”As promised.”

Unlike Junko’s disaster, Mukuro and Makoto’s coffee session went smoothly and with no drinks spilling. There was a close call on Makoto’s part but Mukuro was fast enough to catch his cup before it even hit the floor. For some reason that she couldn’t quite place, he was ridiculously happy when she did that. He said something like, “You really do have great reflexes.” and she was too stunned by his smile to say anything other than “Thanks”. They continued from where they left off after that and time passed quickly.

Mukuro may have expected the conversation topics except for this one.

“Hey, Mukuro.” Makoto called her all of a sudden and then smiled brightly at her. “You look cute in that.”

How could he say that so easily?

How could she not blush to that so quickly?

“...!” Mukuro opened her mouth and then closed it. Wait, she wasn’t wearing anything special today. But the way he gave the compliment told her that he wasn’t lying. This left her flustered and confused. “Thanks... But it’s just my usual clothes.” She lamely pointed out.

His smile just widened knowingly.

“Exactly. I like you just the way you are.”

All in all, the coffee date turned out to be a success.


	14. Disguised Junko

Mukuro couldn’t believe her eyes as she stared at herself.

Or to be more precise, “Junko” stared at “Mukuro”.

“Mukuro Ikusaba reporting for duty!” Junko shouted as she saluted.

Someone commented from the side, “Oh, great. Another noisy one.”

Everyone gathered around “Mukuro” and greeted her while the real Mukuro just stood there, still stunned at the sight before her.

Here was Junko masquerading as Mukuro in broad daylight. Just what on earth was she doing? What was she even thinking?? Didn’t Junko plan to be the overseer in all this? This wasn’t part of the plan. If there were any last minute changes to the plan then Mukuro certainly wasn’t informed. Forget about how distressing this was, this didn’t make sense at all.

If they were both going to be in on this then what was the point of doing it disguised as each other?

“Hey, Enoshima!” Naegi called out all of a sudden which broke her train of thought. “Aren’t you going to introduce yourself to Ikusaba?”

Well, whatever. It’s not like there’s anything she could do about it now. “Sheesh, a new kid comes in and suddenly I’m not the most important person in the room!” She loudly complained as she strutted toward them.

And so the twins came face to face... while wearing each other’s faces.

Thus, a conversation only they could understand took place.

“So, you the new kid?” Mukuro pretended to size her up. What are you doing?, her gaze pleaded for an explanation.

“Yes, ma’am! Ultimate Soldier reporting for duty, ma’am!” Junko exclaimed as she leveled her gaze, I was bored.

“Yeah, sure. You already know me. Ultimate Fashionista and all.” Mukuro drawled as she raised an eyebrow at her, Already? It hasn’t even started yet.

“No, ma’am. I regret to inform you that I am uninformed in these matters.” Junko politely shot back, Oh, don’t get your panties in a bunch! What’s a game if you’re not having fun? I was so bored. So fucking bored.

There was a glint in Junko’s eyes. A dangerous glint.

Oh, no. Mukuro thought as she was about to say something but Junko beat her to it.

“Sir Naegi!” Junko called out to him but not before playfully winking at Mukuro.

“Sir?” He replied confusedly.

“It has come to my attention that I have arrived tardy. I apologize.” Junko explained as Mukuro watched helplessly. “I believe that more introductions are necessary. Will you help me?”

“Sure? I guess.” Naegi hesitantly agreed. He didn’t know what he was getting into. He was too friendly and nice to realize just what was actually happening. Of the hell and war that he got ensnared in. He was totally oblivious as he smiled sheepishly. “Just drop the sir if you could, please.”

“Alright...” Junko gratefully bowed and discreetly smirked at Mukuro. “Naegi.”

Mukuro’s not sure just what Junko was planning but she didn’t like it one bit.


	15. I Get Jealous

Makoto stared wide-eyed.

His mind couldn't comprehend what his eyes were seeing. There on the other end of the hallway was Mukuro and she wasn't alone. No, she wasn't with her sister. No, she wasn't with any other girl. She wasn't even with a girl. There was Mukuro standing in the hallway with a guy.

A guy who was clearly hitting on her.

All at once, Makoto was swarmed with a feeling he has never encountered before. A foreign feeling that he has only heard of in name but never experienced until now. An unpleasant feeling that left a bitter taste in his mouth. A feeling that he does not know how to deal with. He doesn't know here it's coming from but there's this strong urge within him to do something. To take Mukuro away.

To take her far, far away from this random guy.

But when he thought about it, he was being completely ridiculous. The guy wasn't doing anything bad and he knows that Mukuro could take care of herself against any untoward advances. He knew that but he just couldn't control his emotions. Makoto still felt restless. And against his better judgement, his feet was already carrying him towards them.

What was he thinking? Actually, scratch that. He wasn't thinking at all. What was he even supposed to say once he got there? Too late for that now. He's already here with them.

"Uhh..." He mentally hit himself for not thinking this through. But he had to say something, anything! He fumbled with his words. "Is there something I can help you with?" That sounded polite enough, right? Totally did not sound like he was overprotective or jealous, right? Right??

"Actually, I do need help with something. Thanks for asking, buddy." The guy smiled at him. Makoto mentally sighed in relief. Oh, thank god he was friendly. The last thing he needed was a confrontation. "How about you mind your own business?"

...Or not. Well so much for avoiding confrontation.

"We were talking here." They guy said snobbishly.

Makoto was just about to apologize when Mukuro beat him to the punch.

"Yes, we were. And now we're done talking." She declared promptly. And then without warning, without hesitation, she lightly pecked Naegi on the lips. When she pulled back, they were both pink on their cheeks. And without another word, she dragged him away from the still gawking stranger.

When they were far away enough to be the only people in the corridor, she mutely pecked him again.

"W-What was that for?" He stammered, his face was gaining color once again.

"For being cute when you're jealous." She lightly teased him.

Makoto stared at her wide-eyed. Well if this was what he'd get for being jealous then maybe it was okay to get jealous from time to time.


	16. Different Perspective

Mukuro has been so used to looking after him that she never expected to one day look up to him.

Literally.

Makoto had always been a short guy… until he had his late growth spurt.

And boy, did he make up for lost time. If Mukuro was wearing heels then they’d be able to see each other on the same eye level. But heels were hardly practical to move in even if she could handle it flawlessly. She’d rather wear her combat boots so she did. Not only was this more comfortable for her, this also meant that she no longer had the extra inches to match his new height.

So she ended up looking up at him because he was now an inch or two taller.

“Hm? Is something the matter? You’ve been staring for a while now.” Makoto asked her, oblivious to her inner monologue.

Mukuro didn’t even realize that she was staring… again.

But she kept her face as expressionless as ever as she flatly answered, “It’s nothing.”

“Oh, okay then.” Makoto replied. By now he’s already used to her curt replies and unless he felt something off, he wouldn’t bother her by asking further.

The two continued to spend their time together in silence as Makoto did his paperwork and Mukuro did her work as his bodyguard. It was a comfortable silence, one where they’ve growned accustomed to each other’s company even without the need for conversation. But sometimes, they liked to have bits and pieces of dialogue here and there.

“You cut your hair.”

And rarely, it’s Mukuro who starts the conversation.

Makoto’s eyes widened in surprise. “You noticed? I’m surprised you even noticed it.” He chuckled lightly. “Everyone else has been commenting on my height but no one has said a word about my haircut. Not that I’m expecting anyone to comment on it or anything.”

Of course they’d focus on his height, it was a shocking development for everyone, Mukuro thought. Half of the class was still in disbelief and a select few thought he was wearing stilts or something. Point was that everyone made it a point to point out his height. So why did the usually quiet Mukuro point out his haircut instead?

The truth was that she hadn’t meant to. She just noticed it as she stared at him and studied his features. She checked if there were any other changes to him other than his vertical physique. That’s how she noticed that his hairstyle was slightly different than expected and she had unconsciously blurted it out. It wasn’t intention so she tried to maintain her composure over her slip. At least Makoto didn’t seem to mind. He looked like a spotlight was shining on him.

He chuckled lightly as he sheepishly scratched his chin, a habit he never outgrew. “I’m a bit happy that you noticed though.”

She felt a bit happy too knowing that she had made him happier even if it was just minimally happier.

Her eyes scanned over his head again and then in her usual blank tone she commented, “It looks nice.”

He flushed at the unexpected compliment. “T-Thanks.” He had a ridiculously wide grin on his face which only meant that he was ridiculously happy. And though he was a generally happy go lucky kind of person, these kind of moments were rare. He was honestly and extremely happy right now.

His happiness was naturally contagious. But before Mukuro could smile a small smile of her own, she froze. Makoto had reached out–

And brushed his fingers through her bangs.

“You grew out your hair, didn’t you?” He innocently pointed out as he brushed the bangs on the other side of her face.

“…” Her heart thumped wildly in her ribcage as she willed herself from escaping from this. Her mind was going haywire from the proximity and her fight or flight instinct was kicking in. She needed neither. She just had to reply to him first. So she timidly squeaked and forced the words out, “Ah… yeah, I did.”

He smiled wider at having his suspicions confirmed and then he earnestly told her with his brilliant smile, “I think it looks great. It suits you well!”

“…!”

And she got caught up in his dazzling brilliance yet again.

“Thank… you.” She muttered sincerely.

Mukuro was grateful that Makoto had grown taller. Now it was easier to hide her blush from him as she shyly looked down, her face flushed as ever.


	17. Uncharted Territory

Since the last double date turned out to be a success, they figured that they might as well go on another one. Well, it was less of a date and more of a journey of sorts. Not just any journey but a pokemon journey at that.

Team Valor - Nanami  
Team Mystic - Hinata  
Team Instinct - Naegi, Mukuro

Nanami and Hinata weren’t just the seniors in the group but also the veterans when it came to the game. They’ve been playing this ever since the first day it was released and they’ve had this sort of friendly rivalry between themselves so they’re at a competent level. Even though the two were on separate teams, that didn’t ruin their friendship at all. In fact, it was just more fun for them. Hinata hasn’t beaten Nanami yet but he hasn’t tired from trying.

Naegi and Mukuro on the other hand just started out exactly one week prior to the excursion. It sounded like fun and so they tried and fumbled around with it. Even though they both started at the same time, Mukuro’s level was surprisingly higher than Naegi’s. This was because she overprepared and played a few extra hours… well more than just a few. Anyways, they’re also on Team Instinct mostly because Naegi arbitrarily chose so and Mukuro wanted to be on the same team as him.

With all four of them on a journey together, it was a whole new experience.

Naegi’s luck has lured all sorts of pokemon from the endless supply common types to the elusive rarest of the rare types. Mukuro’s skill has gained them access to hard to reach places and she had even climbed a building from the outside just to catch a pokemon. Nanami's expertise has helped them with the success rate of capture as she taught them tips and techniques. Hinata’s rationality has stopped them from getting in trouble especially whenever the two girls thought of doing anything extreme.

Together, they were a force to reckoned with.

Mostly because they always ended up trespassing.

“Guys, is this really okay?” Naegi asked worriedly.

And then Mukuro dropped down from the gate as she unlocked or rather, broke the padlock on it. “It’s open.”

“Yeah, because last time I checked, trespassing is illegal.” Hinata said matter-of-factly.

“It’s okay. We’re only going to be here for a short while.” Nanami reassured the guys.

“And what if we get caught?” Hinata asked her incredulously, not at all okay with this.

“We won’t.” Nanami answered confidently and then she turned to the other girl of the party. “Right?”

“Right.” Mukuro nodded back.

Before Hinata could argue any further, Naegi’s meak voice interrupted him. “Uhh, guys. I think I found the pokemon.”

Good news was that it was an ultra rare pokemon.

Bad news was that it was surrounded by a pack of rabid dogs ready to pounce on them.

“It’s okay. We’ve trained for this.” Nanami didn’t look the least bit worried.

“Sigma formation go.” Mukuro ordered as she positioned herself at the forefront of the group.

“I can’t believe I agreed to this.” Hinata muttered as he went to his defensive position.

“But look on the bright side, isn’t this exciting?” Naegi chuckled weakly despite being afraid himself.

Some might say that they’ve taken this too far. And maybe they have. Literally.


	18. I Heard You

Mukuro had no intention of singing.

It just sort of happened. Her sister had ordered her to pick up some scores from the music room. She’s not sure what her sister planned to do with them or if she had any to begin with. This might just be another pointless errand her sister gave to her on whim. But even so, Mukuro could never deny her sister of anything.

So being the reliable older sister, Mukuro had gone to the music room which was conveniently empty. She arbitrarily collected a few music scores and just out of boredom, she had opened one. She was only supposed to scan it but since her twin had her go through with sight-singing training, she had unconsciously began singing it out loud.

_“I’m believing in the existence of an undeniably warm place that I’ll want to protect.”_

The words flowed smoothly out of her throat and easily spilled into the room. She sang verse after verse as her voice weaved the song’s story. The song filled her with a faint feeling of sadness at first. But as the lyrics picked up, she found out that it was so much more than just sadness. There was a warmth flowing from the music sheet and she felt it as she sang the chorus.

And as the song was about to end, she too had to go.

_“I was the only one.”_

She opened the door to leave.

_“Looking at you…”_

Only to see Makoto staring back at her.

There was a lag time, just half a second, before Mukuro realized what just happened. He had been listening in on her! She didn’t even notice his presence. Was she that absorbed into the song? Then again, sight-singing took a lot of her focus so maybe that’s why but still. She felt her face burning up in embarrassment.

His lag time on the other hand was much longer, around ten times longer. It’s only after five seconds did he realize that the song was already over. It’s also only then that his eyes widen in surprise that he got caught eavesdropping.

“M-Mukuro! E-Excuse me! I didnt mean to l-listen in or anything!” Makoto stammered once he opened his mouth. “It’s just that I was passing by and then I heard this beautiful singing and I thought I’d stick around for a bit.” His eyebrows scrunched up at this. “No, wait. Actually that just makes it sound like I did mean to listen in. I mean, I did but I didn’t mean anything rude by it! I swear!”

Mukuro just stared back at him still frozen on how to reply. She tried not to think too much about his comment on her singing even though it was all she could think about right now. She could feel her face burning up in embarrassment.

“You’re amazing! You sounded so wonderful! You should sing more often!” Makoto smiled brightly at her.

Mukuro didn’t know if it was his smile or his words that froze her in place.  But she knew with absolute certainty that he heard her and that he was smiling at her so freely.

In the back of her mind, the lyrics resurfaced.

_“You light a tiny fire in my heart. Like an old scar.  
So smile for me.”_


	19. Defenses

Mukuro has always kept her guard up all throughout her life.

She had to in order to protect herself when they were out living on the streets and her Fenrir training just cemented those instincts. Her defenses were impeccable and she never completely lowers them, not even for her beloved twin sister. Even if she wanted to, her body was already trained to be on high alert all the time.

Or at least, that’s what she thought.

There are moments when her iron maiden defense isn’t so impenetrable at all. Moments when not even her body is aware of. Moments when she is caught completely off guard.

And most of these moments involve Makoto.

Sometimes she’d only register his presence only after he announces it. Either with a greeting shout or a friendly pat. Her shoulders jump in surprise but that’s all she ever shows. She tries not to show weakness after all. She’s just so puzzled as to why he could sneak up on her when no one else could. He has a way of catching her off guard.

And it isn’t as if he had a weak presence. In a room full of stranger or friends alike, she could easily spot him as if a spotlight is focused on him. It’s as if her gaze is naturally drawn to him. He has this unique and welcoming aura that makes any room warmer. She likes to think that it was just the room getting warmer.

As they got along better, he too got better at lowering her guard. Sometimes he’d sneak up on her and surprise her with a hug from behind her. A pleasant surprise. Even though at first her survival training would kick in and she’d flip him over, eventually her body learned to recognize his presence and sink into the warm embrace.

And when they fall asleep at night, it’s only when she’s beside him that falls into a deep and peaceful slumber. Perfectly comfortable, safe, and above all, content.

Mukuro has always kept her guard up all throughout her life. But nowadays she doesn’t. At least, not when she’s with him.

Because who needs defenses when you have security?


	20. Focus

They told her that it would be more relaxing out of the warzone. Th

This was worse. Much worse.

Unlike on the battlefield where it was easy to distinguish ally from foe, here in this so called "safety" of the city, it just made things all the more complicated. Practically anyone could be a threat. And here, her defense was restricted. She couldn't wear her bullet-proof vest and she couldn't just pull out her gun in public. She was a walking target in an open area, a vulnerable victim to be, and a death waiting to happen.

She feels like losing herself. There's too many people, too much noise, too many threats, too much danger. Too much of everything. And everything was just too much. It was overwhelming her. It was unbearable. It was swallowing her whole and she feels like she'd be consumed by in any moment. Defensive yet also helpless at the same time, she's losing focus.

Until a hand reaches out for hers.

"You okay?" He smiles reassuringly.

And all of a sudden, she's no longer as restless as she was just moments ago. His concerned touch is all it takes to get her grounded again. His soothing voice is louder than all of the noise. And his comforting smile is the perfect dispel for her fears. All of a sudden, she remembers that she is not alone. Not anymore. She has him with her now. And everything seems just a bit more bearable.

"Yeah... I'm okay." She breathed and offered a weak smile.

She's okay now. She wasn't before but with his hand tightly clasped on hers, she feels like she's going to be okay.

"Alright." He gave her hand another reassuring squeeze because he knows how she is in crowded places. But he also knows how strong she is and how much stronger she is than this. And he also knows that together, they're strong enough to overcome fears like this. He smiles softly. "I'm here."

"I know." She answers back with a steady voice.

This is no warzone. That's why they could hold hands like this without worry.

Her hand tightens its hold on his and she regains her focus.


	21. DR IF Bad Route

Mukuro Ikusaba woke up to an unfamiliar environment.

Her eyes blearily scanned her surroundings. It seemed that she was the only occupant of the room and that did little to make her feel at ease. For a classroom it looked... off. There were metal plates barring the windows and she also noted a monitor as well as a camera. This didn't bode well for her. She stood up and almost staggered in surprise at how sore and heavy her body was. She felt like she had just been fighting for her life. But that wasn't right. She couldn't remember anything like that happening...

In fact, she couldn't remember anything at all.

Fear gripped her right then and there as she struggled to pull out a memory, or any memory at all. She had a name. She knew what her name was. But anything beyond that was just out of reach for her. She felt herself being swallowed by the emptiness of it all.

Where was she? Who was she?

She didn't know. She couldn't remember. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't remember. All of a sudden, her breathing became shallow, ragged, and almost gasping. She couldn't breathe. Did she forget how to breathe as well? Panic coursed through her veins as the fear tried to incapacitate her. She needed answers. She needed air. She needed to get out.

So she forced her fear-paralyzed body to move and dragged herself to the door. She almost fell out of the room had she not run into someone.

Something within her geared into action as her body moved on its own. It was like she was moving it and at the same times she felt like someone else was pulling the strings. It felt natural and foreign altogether as her body maneuvered itself. And in a split second, she had the person she bumped into in a chokehold.

"P-Please! I didn't mean to bump into you! It was an accident!" The person cried out. "Please, calm down."

She blinked as what had just happened had finally caught up to her mind. Still confused, she let him go as her arms fell limply to her sides. "S-Sorry. It just... happened." She mumbled lamely. She couldn't offer a better excuse because not even she was sure of what just happened or why her body acted out like that.

"It's okay. You were surprised, right?" He said comfortingly and it's only when he turned around that she finally saw his radiant smile.

_"I'm glad... you're not hurt... Ikusaba."_

A bloodied version of the person stood in front of her and though he look pained, his smile was still genuinely full of relief.

She blinked owlishly. What... What was that? Was that... a memory? But just as soon as the flashback came, it had also faded just as fast. And all was left in front of her was the person who wasn't smiling anymore. In fact, he had a slight frown on his face.

"Ah! Are you okay, miss?" He asked with brows furrowed in concern.

"Huh? Why would you ask that?" She asked, confused where this was coming from.

"Well um..." He paused, hesitant as he gently pointed out, "You're crying."

She was? A tentative hand went to touch her cheek and was surprised to find it wet. She was crying. Since when did she start to cry? Was it because of that memory? Or even before that? She didn't know anymore. Everything was just so confusing and frustrating and another, more dreadful, feeling was threatening to swallow her whole. She knew this feeling. She felt it clawing at her heart. This feeling of helplessness. This feeling of hopelessness.

This feeling of despair.

"Here, use mine." He offered her his handkerchief which she accepted stiffly. "I'm assuming we're in the same situation. It's all so confusing and scary, right?"

She nodded numbly as she wiped her tears. "Y-Yeah..."

"It's normal to feel scared. I am too." He admitted and she saw it in his eyes. He was honestly afraid too. But unlike her, something else shone in his eyes. He was afraid but he was also willing to face his fears. He spoke enthusiastically, "But at least we don't have to be alone in this. I'm not exactly sure what's going on either but I'm relieved to see you."

"Me too." She breathed. And she wondered if it was normal to feel this much relief over meeting a stranger.

This stranger who was giving her hope.

"Let's stick together if that's okay with you." He offered her his hand as he smiled brightly once again. "I'm Makoto Naegi."

_"If I ever decide to kill someone, I promise it won't be you!"_

She heard the voice of a girl and although it sounded nothing like hers, she had this strange feeling that it was her who said it even though her mouth has been closed all this time.

She took a deep breath and cleared her head. If this was a memory then she'll deal with it later. For now, he was still waiting for her with an expectant smile. Of course she'd answer him. "Mukuro Ikusaba."

And as she shook his hand, she wondered why she felt likt she didn't want to let it go.

In another universe, another IF was being written, and another battle of hope against despair had just begun.


	22. Lies

“Isn’t he just some loser?”

The words smoothly flowed out of her mouth as if they were her own. They weren’t. She was just bluffing her way for him to get out of harm’s way. Out of Junko’s way. Because she knew for a fact just how destructive her twin could be especially once she has taken interest in someone. So she wanted to divert her attention away from him. Far far away from him. And so she bluffed. Her acting skills were getting better and she could have easily believed her words to be sincere but she doubted that her sister was fooled. Nothing gets past Junko but still, Mukuro tried.

Those words that she blurted out? She didn’t mean it.

She didn’t mean to fall for him either.

All Mukuro expected from Hope’s Peak Academy was to be reunited with her sister whom she loved dearly. There wasn’t much going on for her. Aside from being a soldier, all she has left was her sister. And choosing to attend Hope’s Peak meant choosing one over the other. Naturally she chose her precious and only family. She’s not interested in school at all, she’s just here because her twin was here. As long as she could be near Junko then that would be enough for her.

It should have been enough for her until…

“Ah!” Someone yelled as they tripped– someone whom she’d been eyeing on all this time.

With exceptional speed, she was able to dash to the scene and catch the person’s back before they even hit the floor. With her other hand, she swiftly took the box from their hands and meticulously caught all of the falling contents in it. All of this happened in just a blink of their eyes without any untoward incident. Crisis averted.

The person blinked a few times until it dawned to them that they were safe and fortunately, not crushed by a pile of tools. “That… was a close one.” They let out a sigh of relief and then turned to her. “Thanks for saving me, Mukuro!” And he gave her a grateful smile.

That same smile he gave her the first time they met.

The smile that got her thinking of other things for the first time. The smile that made her see more than just her sister and despair. The smile that gave her feelings which she still couldn’t understand what they meant. That same smile he would always give her even though all she did was take. It was a smile that she found herself looking forward to seeing more often than not.

Makoto’s smile was a force to be reckoned with for Mukuro.

“No problem.” She replied as she reluctantly let go of his back. Any more of this contact would be too much for her especially since she already felt a blush creeping on her cheeks.

But she didn’t want to let go of him just yet.

“Need help?” She asked as she effortlessly raised the box she held with one hand.

“Ah, yes actually. It’s kind of embarrassing for me to admit this but it’s a bit heavy for me.” He sheepishly scratched the back of his head and laughed lightly. “It looks like I’m going to rely on you some more. If that’s okay with you?”

Laughter also suited him, she thought.

“Nothing I can’t handle.” She shrugged and then they proceeded to head towards the storage room.

They walked together in amicable silence for the most part. It was nice if not awkward although that might be just on her part. He looked absolutely oblivious as usual but that just added to his charm. He always had this positive aura surrounding him which was infectious. He was ridiculously optimistic which should have been a weakness. But instead it became his strenth, it became their strength. Whenever someone had their doubts, he was always there to help them get back up.

And no matter how unbearable it was, he would still smile.

“Hey, Mukuro.” He spoke up. He was also smiling right now but it was more of a bittersweet kind. “A lot of things has happened, hasn’t it? It feels like it was only just the other day that we were hanging out with everyone without a care in the world.” His face then twisted into a grimace. “And then yesterday… that tragedy happened.”

The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History. The tragedy that Junko had set up.

“And now all of a sudden, we’re locking ourselves up in school until things calm down. It’s almost as if the world has ended and we’re the few  survivors left.” He chortled but there was no humor in his voice only sadness. “When I say it out loud, doesn’t it all sound crazy?”

No, not at all. It’s not crazy. It’s just absolutely despairing.

“Actually, that’s pretty much what’s happening.” She stated matter-of-factly. It hasn’t even been a week since everything started falling apart. It was just like he said. It happened literally just yesterday and the state of the world had plummeted just as quickly.

“I guess there’s no other way of looking at this, huh.” He solemnly commented. And then just like he always did, he got back up with his ridiculous optimism. “Well it can’t be helped. After everything’s that happened, this had to be done. This was for the best. We made the right decision.”

If only she could tell him just how wrong it was.

“Everyone’s entrusting their hopes onto us. And I want to answer their hopes.” He said with unflinching resolve. “And I also believe in this. In us. We’ll surivive this, I’m sure of it.”

She’s not so sure about that. Not with what Junko had planned for them. There was no survival, only despair.

“Don’t you think so, Mukuro?” He smiled at her once more and it was his most hopeful smile just yet.

Makoto’s smile weighed heavy on her conscience.

“…I think so too.” She lied through her teeth.

Mukuro wanted that smile to last longer.


	23. Shots Fired

They were attending a festival together.

Makoto’s eyes scanned the stalls as they passed by until they lit up when he saw one in particular. “Oh! That looks like a game for you.” They made their way through the crowd until they finally reached the stall.

It was a shooting game.

“Why don’t you give it a shot?” He cracked a joke and although it wasn’t the wittiest he’s ever made, it didn’t fail at tugging her lips into some semblance of a smile.

“Alright.” She agreed as she took one of the toy guns while he paid for the game.

The gun was light, unnaturally so, it’s been a while since she’s last held a gun that wasn’t lethal. How ironic it was that an actual working gun felt more right in her hands than the one that she held right now. But a gun was still a gun even if it was just a toy gun. She earned the title of  SHSL Soldier partly because she could work with almost any arsenal. Even just a corkgun. And so with deadly precision, she took aim at her target and pulled on the trigger.

The cork hit right on the mark.

But the can didn’t topple at all.

“…” She stared at the still standing tower of cans and then back at her gun. Her face scowled in disappointment. “It’s rigged.”

“Nah, miss. You just didn’t put in enough force in it, ya know?” The stallkeeper laughed at her, clearly covering up their scam of a game.

Mukuro was less amused than him as her eyes narrowed dangerously.  "…Maybe you’re right.“ She conceded as her hand discreetly slid inside one of her sleeves to retrieve a more effective gun.

Only to be stopped by Makoto’s hand. “L-Let’s not ask for a refund just yet.” He said nervously and his face was begging her not to do anything involving actual firearms. “I mean, we still have two more tries, right? With my luck and your skill, something will surely happen!”

Truth be told, Mukuro had her doubts about that but it was hard to say no to Makoto’s face especially when he was pulling yet another one of his adorable expressions.

“Fine.” She mumbled with a slight pout. This would have been so much easier if she just used her gun. She even had her license with her so it was legal.

“You can do it! I believe in you!” He cheered her on.

She took a deep breath. Okay, new strategy. Now that she’s fired the gun before, she has a good estimate of how much force it actually packed. Now the question was if that force was enough to overcome the rigged game. Maybe if she tried hitting what she thought was the weakspot then maybe there was a chance. She took aim again.

And missed again.

“What was it you said about your luck and my skill?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Ahaha… Third times the charm?” He offered weakly.

Perhaps she needed a new strategy.

“Your turn.” She said curtly and proceeded to move.

“Wha-” Before he could even start his question, she had already finished taking position.

A rather intimate position. She was almost embracing him from behind.

“W-What are you d-doing?” He stammered and she heard him audibly gulp.

“Using your luck and my skill.” She whispered hotly in his ear and took pride at the way his body shivered in response.

“T-This isn’t what I meant when I said that!” He stuttered as he squirmed within her hold but made no effort to break free. She only pressed herself harder on his back and heard him audibly gulp.

Even though both of them were flushed red, she still looked more collected of the two of them. She deftly took his hands in hers and directed them on the toy gun. Hearts drummed wildly in anticipation or maybe it was just from such intimate contact. It was hard to tell if it was his or hers beating faster as their hearts pounded excitedly. They were close, too close, and he could feel her breath warm and ticklish in his ear. As distracting as all of this was, she was still focused on the matter at hand. Or rather, in their hands.

They took aim and fired.

And missed.

At the last moment, Makoto’s hand slightly shook and that was all it took to have the bullet completely miss the can, not even barely grazing it. Instead, the bullet hit a plank angled just rightly so to change the trajectory of the bullet. That was just the first of its reroutes. From there, it hit object after object. Back and forth like watching a pinball machine. Until finally, it had stored just enough force and momentum, and headed in just the right direction–

And knocked over the can.

They just stared in awe at what they had witnessed, at what they had done, at what they had achieved together. They were able to beat a rigged game through some skill and mostly sheer luck. Now what were the odds of that? Even the stallkeeper had their jaw drop in shock. Stunned speechless, they handed them their prize in a daze.

They still haven’t separated from each other.

“We… won.” Makoto reverently stated as if he was still in disbelief himself. Once the words rolled off his tongue, it’s only then that he realized that they weren’t just words. It was a fact. An unbelievable but also undeniable fact. “We won! Wow! That was so cool!” He happily celebrated and then turned his head towards her and beamed.

Prize be damned, his smile was better than any stuffed toy.

“Told you we could do it.” He grinned smugly at her.

“Yeah, we did.” She nodded in reply. She could feel a smile on her lips. His joy was infectious as always and she was relishing her hold on him.  "Together.“

And together, this festival couldn’t have gone any better.


	24. SHSL Despair Reformed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on the "What if Naegi was the subject for the Hope Cultivation Plan?" au that I wrote

Mukuro despaired.

She watched in disbelief as the scene unfolded in front of her. She did not expect this at all. Junko was being overpowered no, not just overpowered, she was being overthrown. Her despair was getting crushed by hope just as she was pinned down to the ground, defeated. This wasn’t how the plan was supposed to go. Her sister was down and here she was being the unreliable older sister, being a disappointment, and not protecting her.

She had to get her sister away from him and escape.

With that thought in mind, she lunged forward and drew her knife with one hand as her other hand drew a gun. She fired several shots at him, all at critical points on his body and with an accuracy high enough to kill. Even if he could somehow dodge them all, he’d have to let go of Junko in the process and this was what she was betting on. An opening. Her main priority was to retrieve her sister and then maybe finish him off after. She picked up speed after she open fired.

Only to have her vision shift.

Much to her bewilderment, Kamukura had disappeared. No, not just him. He and her sister had vanished from her sight for a split second. That wasn’t right. How was that even possible? But then her eyes widened in realization. It wasn’t possible at all. That’s because they didn’t vanish. It was her line of sight that changed. Somehow, she had been turned just slightly so without her even noticing it in a fraction of a second. If she wasn’t facing him then that could only mean one thing.

It meant that she was totally unguarded against him.

Distraught, she quickly twisted her body to try and frantically return him to her field of vision. She did so in a defensive manner, with her knife slashing at the air along with her movements just in case he got any ideas of taking her out in close combat. She expected to see him pulling a smug face while he held her sister. She expected to see him as a blur, already pulling out a maneuver on her. She expected to see the floor in the next second since he could take her out so easily. But what she saw was the last thing that she expected to see.

Kamukura was there right in front of her, smiling at her.

The mere absurdity of the sight made her stop all movement. She had to blink several times just to confirm that this wasn’t just some trick of the eye. He just smiled wider at her actions which only confused her more. Why was he smiling? And why did it look so genuine and innocent and unlike any other smile she had seen before?

“Hello there, I don’t think we’ve properly met.” He started politely and bowed. “I’m Izuru Kamukura.”

Mukuro was yet again at a lost by his words and his actions that she was stunned from moving. It’s only after the lag that her eyes strayed towards her sister. Much to her relief, her sister was still fine. She was still breathing but she was out cold and judging from the mark on her forehead, it was self-inflicted. She had understood that from this that Junko chose to escape his hope through her own way. Now Mukuro was alone to deal with him instead.

“Don’t you… you know, already know about me?” She asked cautiously as her grip on her weapons only tightened. “You also have a talent like Junko’s, right? Why are you even asking my name?”

He laughed lightly at this. “Well you’re not wrong. It’s true that I already kind of figured out who you are.” Then he leaned forward and… was he pouting? He was and his eyes were shining expectantly. “But that’s not a proper introduction. If we’re going to be friends then we have to start this out right.”

…

…Wait, what? Did she just hear him right?

“…Friends?” She tilted her head in inquiry.

“Yup! Friends!” He seconded with boundless enthusiasm as he then explained animatedly, “You see, I’m still kind of not yet enrolled here in school and so I haven’t exactly made any friends yet. Actually, none at all in fact considering I’ve been cooped up in this facility the whole time.” He sighed longingly and then sheepishly smiled at her.

Again. He was smiling at her again. It was different from the one before but it brought out just the same unusual feelings inside her.

“I was hoping… that we could be friends?” He asked timidly. Huh, so even the SHSL Hope was capable of embarrassment even when he had all the talents of the world. He awkwardly waved out his hands. “If that’s alright with you, of course!”

It took her a full minute to comprehend that he was honestly serious about this. He just asked his attempted murderer to be his first friend in high school. More importantly, he asked her. Her, the plain and boring one of the set. Her, the unreliable and disappointing sister. Her, the one who has never known any other form of companionship aside from her despairing  bond with her twin.

Her, who was so socially stunted that she didn’t know how to react to his smile.

“But why… me?” The words had unconsciously left her lips before she could stop them. Why? It just didn’t make sense. “I just tried to kill you.”

“So did your sister but don’t worry about it too much.” He brushed the matter aside as if it was nothing. But he could tell that she wouldn’t accept just that excuse alone. He crossed his arms as a serious expression overtook his face. “I kind of understand where you’re coming from so it’s easy for me to forgive you. You just love your sister very much, right? I have a younger sister of my own too so I can relate to you.”

Well it’s true that she loved her sister dearly but he was willing to forgive her for that? How could he be so complacent? She couldn’t understand him. Even more puzzling was that she even made a mental note of the fact that he had a younger sister as well. Never mind that, what right did he have to talk as if he knew them?

“…What would you know about me and my sister?” She asked accusingly, her eyes narrowed and stared daggers at him.

“Ah! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to pry.” He immediately apologized once he realized his mistake and bowed with utmost sincerity. “I still haven’t figured out yet how to turn off my talents so I basically got your whole backstory down without your permission. I’m so sorry.”

“…” She neither rejected nor accepted his apology. She was neutral. In truth, there was no need for this discussion at all. She just had to get Junko and leave. That’s it. And yet for some strange reason, she stayed.

“Sorry about that.” He raised his head after a while and then sheepishly smiled at her for what seemed to be the third time since their first contact. She knew it was the third because she was counting them. “Can we start over again?”

This wasn’t part of the plan. Mukuro panicked inside. She wasn’t told on what to do should the plan fail. She wasn’t told on how to handle this situation. She wasn’t told on how to react to his smile. She hadn’t prepared herself for any of this. For any of this inviting friendliness and other feelings. Feelings she knows that have names but has never felt them before hence she never bothered remembering.

As she stared at his smile, the foreign feelings gnawed at her heart.

“Why are you…” She trailed off as her head finished off the sentence.  Why are you trying to befriend me? Why are you different? Why are you smiling? Why are you smiling at me? “Why are you so nice?”

Why are you so nice to me?

He chuckled and again, she couldn’t help but wonder why the sound felt so light to her ears. “Because don’t you deserve to be treated nicely?”

“Not really.” Her eyes shot down in guilt as she felt the familiar sensation of despair take hold of her heart. “I’m just a disappointment after all. The most I can give a person is despair.”

Even if he was nice to her, she wouldn’t be so nice to him not when he was hope and she was despair.

“You’ve got that wrong!” He loudly objected.

Startled by his outburst, her eyes shot up to stare at him, only to see him looking back at her with determination unlike any she’s ever seen.

“You’ve got plenty of good qualities! You just haven’t acknowledged them!” He argued as he began to list out all the supporting facts. “Like how you’ve always thought of your sister’s sake more than your own because you’re more selfless than you’d like to admit. Like how you try your hardest even though you never get rewarded, even though sometimes you even get scolded for it, you still try to do your best.”

Mukuro listened to him as he listed fact after fact about her and she watched as his face softened with a certain tenderness with each added fact.

“Like how you are right now. If you asked me, I’d say that you’re an amazing person.” He said it in a way that told her he firmly believed in this. He held a hand over his chest as he spoke, “I’m not disappointed at all. In fact, I’m happy to have met such a wonderful person while I’m stuck here isolated. I feel lucky to have met you.”

By the end of his speech, Mukuro’s face was flushed red as the foreign feeling surged through her.

He smiled wider. “Rather than despair, you give me hope. ”

Hope. Was that what this feeling was called?

“Aaaand I probably said too much.” This time it was his turn to flush red as the lashback of embarrassment finally hit him. “Too soon? I’m so sorry. Just because I know your profile doesn’t mean I have right to talk about you as if I knew you. You haven’t even told me any of these yet.” He spoke quickly, frantically, almost awkwardly. “Ah! I’m messing up this whole frienship process. No wonder you won’t say yes.”

“Yes.” The word left her lips as soon as he had said it.

“Huh?” He blinked as if still confirming that the echo wasn’t just inside his head.

“…Yes.” She repeated this time with more certainty. But the words that followed this were soft, hesitant, but also eager. “Yes, I will… be your friend.”

She knows that in the grand scale of things, she had just said yes to more than just an invitation for friendship.

“Really? I’m so happy!” His face instantly beamed and lit up the dreary room. “You won’t regret this, I swear!” He stepped closer and held her hands in his out of sheer enthusiasm. He was a bundle of unbridled joy. “I look forward to our friendship together!”

She almost had to squint from the brightness he was exuding. But she thinks, she doesn’t mind this. This friendship of theirs. This brightness of his. This foreign feeling. “Ah… me too. I look forward to this.”

Mukuro was just the first of the many people he’d fill with hope.


	25. Tamed Soldier

When Ryota saw that the class of 78 had escaped, he expected that the Future Foundation would rescue them. He expected that the SHSL Soldier would still be with them as well whom he had already been acquainted with before. And so he also expected that he'd cross paths with her again sooner or later.

What he didn't expect though was just how different she would be.

He's not sure if it's because he's repressed most of his memories associated with Junko or if he just never had much interaction with Mukuro before, maybe it's a mix of both. He remembered just a few moments regarding her and from what he knew, the only time she showed any emotion was that time she watched his anime. Other than that, she'd kept a stoic face in the background unless addressed by her twin. That's why Ryota had expected her to be no different now. Even if she had turned down despair, that didn't mean her personality would change that much, right?

Oh, how wrong he was.

"Ahhh!" As if on cue, Makoto had slipped and was about to fall for the flight of stairs.

But Mukuro had caught him before any accident could occur. "Be careful."

He let out a sigh of relief and then smiled brightly at her. "Thanks, Mukuro!"

And this was one of those weird moments where she'd get all flustered and stammered, "Y-You're welcome."

Ryota expected a coldhearted killing machine but instead he just kept seeing like... this. He knew of Fenrir and of how they were wolves but as she was right now, all he could think of was the image of a puppy who was overly attached to its owner. While she still wore a stoic face most of the time, her mask would always break around Makoto. And how often was that? More often than not considering that she was only allowed to roam freely so long as he was with her. Although judging by how attached she was to him, he thought that she'd probably still stay by his side even without the probation.

"Hello there, Ryota." Makoto naturally greeted him when their eyes met. "You've been staring for a while without saying anything. Is something the matter?"

Ryota's eyes briefly glanced at Mukuro who had already placed her blank face on. He noted how her hand was still on Makoto's shoulder and how he didn't even flinch under her touch. That just showed how much he trusted her and of course, it also showed just how much protective of him she was.

"No, it's nothing." He shook his head and answered weakly, "Just got lost in thought for a bit."

"I know what you mean. It happens to me too." Makoto chuckled lightly. "Well then we'll be heading off now." He bid him farewell.

Mukuro didn't utter a word but she did nod a bit before walking off with her partner. Ryota couldn't help but notice that they were an inch closer than necessary. He didn't know why he felt compelled to watch their retreating figures but as he did so, something happened. He saw Makoto say something he couldn't quite here but saw the telltale blush on the face of Mukuro.

And Ryota couldn't help but wonder just what happened to the emotionless soldier that he knew.


	26. Catch of the Day

Mukuro’s grip on her fishing rod was firm and steady. And she’s been holding on to it like that for hours.

They’ve been fishing for a while now. Well, if you could call it that. Makoto has been fishing since he’s caught three small ones already. Meanwhile, Mukuro has only been holding her rod and just posing stiffly. She didn’t know why but she hasn’t had a single bite, not even a nibble. She knew that she wasn’t doing anything wrong and there was nothing different with her equipment but for some reason, she just couldn’t catch anything.

She let out another distressed sigh.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll catch one soon.” Makoto tried to reassure her.

“That’s what you’ve been saying for the last three hours.” She groaned in frustration.

He chuckled weakly. “Well there’s also the saying that it’s not really about the catch but more of the experience!” He offered to her optimistically.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” She stoically rebuffed.

“Depends. Is it working?” He smiled sheepishly.

She was about to tell him no, it wasn’t working for her but it seemed that fate was mocking her. Just before she could reply, Makoto got another bite and after a struggle on his part, he managed to reel in his fourth catch.

“Ah…” Makoto opened his mouth to say something and then closed it when he realized that words may not be enough to prove his argument. It also didn’t help that he caught another fish.

Mukuro stared forward long and hard at the water until she finally came to a decision. “That’s it. I’m cheating.”

With that declaration, she quickly stripped off her shirt and shorts, much to Makoto’s flustered face, which only left her in her underwear and a knife gritted between her teeth. Without even so much as a warning, she dove into the waters.

…

And in a matter of seconds, she emerged from the waters with the largest fish Makoto has ever seen up close. She nonchalantly tossed the said fish toward him which he almost dropped because it was flailing about. And as he packed what was obviously their best catch yet, she proceeded to casually dry herself with a towel they brought with them.

“Congrats on your catch.” Makoto beamed at her at first but then his eyebrows furrowed as he reprimanded her. “But you didn’t have to dive in like that. We’re only here to fish.”

“That’s what I did. I fished.” She deadpanned.

“Yeah, but you’re missing my point.” He sighed and then frowned in contemplation. “We didn’t exactly bring extra clothes.”

“It’s okay. It’s only my undergarments soaked. I can still wear my shirt and shorts without them.” She nonchalantly suggested.

“W-What are you saying?!” He ended up stammering his reaction while he blushed furiously at the thought or rather, as he tried not think about it.

“That I don’t want my clothes wet…?” She replied oblivious to his concern.

He gulped. Seriously? For someone like her who was easy to fluster, she was surprisingly not so conservative about this. Which was not good for his heart. “Yeah, but you can’t just go out without underwear even if you’re wearing clothes!”

“I don’t see the problem.” She casually shrugged. “I’ll be staying in the car the whole time anyways. So no one but you would see.”

Only he could see… he shook his head from those thoughts.

“Point taken but still!” He tried to argue but then he also realized that since they weren’t bringing extra clothes, there wasn’t much for him to suggest. But at the very least, they could compromise. He conceded, “Okay. But only on the condition that you wear my hoodie over your shirt.”

“Sure. That’s fine by me.” She agreed.

And just like when she stripped earlier, she moved again without warning. In one swift motion, she had stripped him of his hoodie and in the next, she was already wearing it.

“There. Better?” She innocently asked.

“Much better.” In more way than one, he thought to himself.

Maybe there was some truth in that adage where fishing wasn’t just about catching fish.

* * *

 

BONUS: (reprise)

Mukuro hadn’t intended to go fishing that day.

The whole Class of 78th was on a mini-field trip courtesy of Togami and his yacht. He actually offered a cruise liner at first but at the insistence of the more practical majority, they had settled for something smaller and more doable. So here they were in the middle of the ocean on the world’s most expensive yacht. And while they were at it, some of them decided to try fishing.

Naturally, Makoto had tried to do so as well. Mukuro had settled for just keeping him company as they waited for a fish to bite. This truly tested their patience since his luck had it out for him. While their classmates were reeling in catches, his remain untouched. After an hour, everyone who had a pole also had caught a fish except him. And then another hour but still no luck.

On the third hour, he should’ve known better than to trust his luck. His first bite and as he got pulled overboard, he thought it might as well be his last. And of course, this had to happen on the one time that Mukuro let him out of her sight. A panicked scream ripped through his throat and when she looked over, he was already falling over with the fishing rod still clenched in fear in his hand.

Naturally, Mukuro just had to jump in and rescue him. In the waters, she saw Makoto and his fish still caught in his line. And to her surprise, he had nabbed the largest fish on his hook. There was this split second in which she debated on what to do with it. Had this been any other circumstance, she would have let the fish get away. But this was technically Makoto’s fish and she thought that he might be disappointed to have it get away. She reached for her reliable combat knife and dove in.

It didn’t take long before Mukuro surfaced with a dead shark under one arm and an unconscious Makoto in the other.

“Looks like Big Sis Muku got the catch of the day!” Junko declared with a proud grin.

“Yeah… Makoto.” Mukuro replied as she then tossed the shark off one side and gently laid down Makoto. She checked his pulse and noted that he was still breathing. Good.

All the while, the rest of the class stared with a mix of shock and amusement. And then there’s Togami. He sighed, pushed his glasses up and then he commented, “I’ll inform the chef of the change of menu. Since we have fresh shark, we might as well enjoy the delicacy.”

Mukuro hadn’t intended to go fishing that day but Makoto was worth the catch.


	27. Soldier Meets Killer Killer

Ikusaba was facing something she has never encountered before in her life.

“It’s an honor to finally meet you!”

Or rather, someone. Someone who was apparently her fan.

“I’m Takumi Hijirihara from the 6th Branch and under the Special Case Bureau .” He bowed politely as he introduced himself. “I like to hide in small cramped spaces. I fall in love easily. And my kill count is 1** so far.”

She just merely blinked as she absorbed all of the information she had just been bombarded with. Nobody has introduced themselves in such depth to her before. Usually just the name and division was enough but never did anyone voluntarily divulge information about their personal lives. And his was quite… intriguing. For some reason, she’s not at all fazed by that last trivia although she already knew that it would raise concern for her partner.

“Um, if I may intrude.” Naegi timidly raised his hand. “By kill count, you do mean murder cases solved, right?”

Hijirihara paused for a torturous long moment. The tension in the air was so thick that it was palpable. They stared at each other, the person in question had blank eyes as he opened his mouth.

“No, I meant kill count.” He deadpanned and then he returned his gaze towards Ikusaba and life instantly returned to his eyes. “I don’t know what else to say now that I finally get to meet you in person! I’m so moved! I’m sure you don’t remember me since I was in hiding during one of your massacres but I remember you!”

Ikusaba noted the cold behavior he had shown Naegi but she also knew that it was harmless so she let it slide. As long as there was no killing intent and there was no attempt to harm her partner then she’d let him be. Although she knew that this was just a distraction from her dealing with his… enthusiasm. She’s never seen someone so fanatic over her and since she didn’t know what to say or do, she just let him continue.

“You are a killing goddess! You changed my life and made me see just how beautiful blood truly is! And I have looked up to you ever since!” He showered her with praise and added, “You even inspired me to become Killer Killer!”

Naegi choked on his own spit. “K-Killer??” He coughed as he sputtered.

Ikusaba continued to stare forward, unfazed but also still at a loss as to how to handle this situation. That alias sounded vaguely familiar. She recalled reading a file on it. “Aren’t you that serial killer who kills other killers?”

Hijirihara let out a happy squeal. “You’ve heard of me? I’m truly honored!” He leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with admiration. “If it’s not too much to ask, what do you think of my works? It’s alright, I can take whatever you say, I just want your honest opinion. If there’s anything I need to work on then please don’t hold back and tell me. I want to improve myself!”

Ikusaba skimmed through her memory as she recalled the photos of the victims under his alias’ file. She could give him a few pointers but she wasn’t sure if that was appropriate. She chanced a sideway glance at Naegi who looked like he was just about to faint. She returned his gaze to Hijirihara. “Sorry, um… I don’t know the specifics.”

“Oh, I see…” His face fell almost instantaneously but then again, he had also recovered quickly as he suggested right after, “Then how about I do a live demo?”

“Absolutely not!” Naegi firmly objected, suddenly finding his voice.

Hijirihara turned his head to him and Naegi almost flinched at the blank stare he received, his was voice just as dead as his victims. “Who are you again?”

Naegi stared at him, slackjawed. “I’m Makoto Naegi. We introduced ourselves earlier.”

“Oh, it’s you.” He blinked and then dismissed him. “Well nobody asked for your opinion.” Naegi was about to retort but it seemed as though Hijirihara wasn’t finished yet. “Ah, but I guess I’m grateful to you. After all, this meeting wouldn’t be possible without your help in the grand scheme of things.”

He then turned to Ikusaba and frowned. “It’s such a shame that you aren’t allowed to kill anymore. I would have loved to see you in action again. It’s truly a loss for humanity.” He mourned. “But don’t worry. I’ll do my best to protect your legacy.”

“Uh… thanks?” Ikusaba’s not sure what to say. “Do your best?”

“Don’t encourage him!” Naegi panicked.

“Yes! I won’t let you down!” Hijirihara smiled brilliantly. “I will become a worthy murderer!”

Ikusaba still didn’t know what was happening but she thought that maybe she did right judging by how happy Hijirihara looked.


	28. Just Let Me Confess Already

Naegi was finally going to confess his feelings to Ikusaba-- or so he's been trying to for the whole week now.

He swears it's not his fault. It's not that he lacked the courage or that he'd chicken out at the last second. On the contrary, he was very much prepared to go through the whole confession just like he had planned. Unfortunately, the universe seemed to have other plans for him. There's always some sort of divine intervention which inconveniently happens each time and thus, preventing him from getting his words across. But maybe divine wasn't the right word because he could feel the malicious intent sometimes.

Sometimes literally. At first it seemed just coincidences. A friend had called out to him. He had tripped at seemingly nothing over the stairs. He's still not sure how he had gotten a wrong turn at the hallway. And then from those small harmless coincidences, they escalated to a worrying level. A baseball flew just an inch away from his face. A dagger had almost slit his throat. He was even gagged by someone at one point.

He started having doubts if it really was just his luck when that last one happened. If the coincidences weren't just too good and perhaps also a bit lethal then he wouldn't have thought that someone was after his life. Well, he wasn't that far off the bat since that someone obviously had no problem with literally cutting it too close with him. And he had a strange foreboding feeling as to who that someone was. He's not one for accusations but this was getting ridiculous.

"Um, Enoshima...?" Naegi started as soon as he approached her seated on a bench outside after class hours.

"No." She didn't even spare him a glance.

"But I haven't even said anything yet." He tried to reason with her.

"Oh, but I already know!" She declared and that's when she finally and boldly stared back at him. She stood up, chest proudly puffed out, and her finger was pointed at him accusingly. "You're trying to steal my beloved and disappointing sister from me!"

"Uh, I think you got that last adjective wrong." He corrected her.

As if not hearing his small comment, she prattled on, "But I won't hand her!"

"Why not?" He asked with utmost sincerity.

This was it. If he could just find out why and get her to think otherwise then maybe he'd finally get the privacy he'd been meaning to have. His shoulders tensed as he braced himself for whatever war he was prepared to fight in. In truth, he's a bit scared and nervous but he didn't want to give up without even trying. He firmly planted his feet on the ground. Okay, he's ready for whatever she has in it for him.

"No reason in particular." She declared in a flippant tone.

...What?

He stared at her with confusion written all over his face. "Huh? If there's no particular reason then why won't you just let me confess to her then?"

"Dear boy, Naegi." She shook her head.

"Um, I'm not really comfortable being addressed that way." He flushed in embarrassment.

"It's precisely because I don't have a reason that's why I'm trying so hard to stop you!" She explained with a commanding voice. "Here you are, doing your best to get your feelings across but alas, here I am to make sure that you are here, cockblocked, for no reason at all!" She struck a pose and changed her tone to a sickly sweet one. "Isn't it frustrating? Isn't it condescending? Isn't it... absolutely despairing~?"

"Well I don't know about despair but it sure is annoying." He muttered under his breath.

"Exactly! That's why you should give up on her!" She cheered with more enthusiasm than he's ever seen from her. After which, she murmured to herself, "Besides, it'll be even more despairing for her when the game begins."

"What did you just say?" He asked, oblivious to her true intentions.

"Nothing~" She sang and smiled sweetly at him.

"Well if you say so." He felt as though she was hiding something but he let it go since he also felt that it wasn't that much relevant to his original goal. He sighed and went for the last resort which was pleading. "Please, Enoshima. I still don't get why you're so against this but I really want to talk to her. Just give me one shot at this."

"Ugh, why don't you just drop it after the first death threat you got?" She groaned at his persistence as she then fell back on her seat and casually threw shade at her own sibling. "I don't know what you see in her. She's just a huge disappointment."

"You've got that wrong!" He immediately countered with a voice full of confidence. "Ikusaba isn't a disappointment. She's a wonderful person who always tries her best. Even though you sometimes say hurtful things about her, she still loves you dearly. Even though it's hard for her to adapt to society, she's giving it her all to change. Even though she hardly smiles, the few times that she does, I think those are the most beautiful smiles I've ever seen."

He paused in his speech as he took a deep breath and then continued, "She's not a disappointment. Especially not to me. She's actually incredible and that's why I..." He trailed as his ears heard movement behind him. "I..." He turned around and his eyes widened in surprise. His jaw dropped.

"I love you."

And the words had left his lips before he could even stop them.

There she was, Ikusaba was standing before him with a face flushed red that rivalled his own. Time stood still for them or rather, they were both so shocked that they just stood there for a long while. They just stared at each other in a daze as if in disbelief over what had just been said and in uncertainty over what to do next. The words hang in the air they breathe.

"Oh my god. This is painful to watch!" Enoshima yelled and broke the silence although the tension was still thick. She scowled at her sister and beckoned her, "Are you like going to even say anything?!"

Ikusaba opened her mouth only to close it. She did it again. And again. It was as if the words she was trying to say was still stuck in her throat. Naegi saw her struggle. He had understood. This was all too sudden for her and he didn't know what to say either. And so he didn't speak. He just did what he felt natural at the time.

Naegi just smiled at her, sheepish but also earnest.

Almost instantaneously, his smile had melted whatever was lodged in Ikusaba's throat and the words had already slipped past her lips, "Me too."

And not only was Naegi finally able to confess his feelings to Ikusaba, he had also received her answer and the feeling was mutual.


	29. Insecurities and Assurances

If there was anything that Mukuro would be remotely conscious of then it would be her freckles.

But Makoto has been adamant in convincing her otherwise.

"They're not that bad! Seriously, Mukuro. You're overthinking this." Makoto told her for the nth time today ever since the topic was brought up by a rude comment from Junko. He sighed. He knew that Mukuro was only taking this harshly because it was her sister that pointed it out. And although he knew that Junko was just messing with her twin, Mukuro just had to take everything seriously.

"Maybe I should take her advice and cover them with makeup." Mukuro said while her fingers consciously rubbed them in a futile effort of making them go away.

"Don't do that." Makoto frowned at her and reached up to gently pull her hands away from her face, his own fingers lightly grazing her freckles in an affectionate manner. "I don't even think they're bad at all. In fact, I think..." He paused, trying to gather the courage to finish the sentence. "I think they're kinds of... cute." He barely squeaked that last word and punctuated it with a blush.

"...!" Mukuro answered him with her own blush. "Y-You're just saying that to make me feel better." Which was working admittedly although she would never confess to that out loud.

"I'm not! I swear I honestly do like them!" He professed and he could practically feel the rise in temperature in his face but despite his embarrassment, his determination to convince her was just as strong. "Is there anything that I can say that'll convince you?"

She stared at him for a full minute before answering, "...Probably none."

He let out a sigh. "I kind of don't doubt that." He knew from firsthand just how strict she could be especially with herself. But he also knew just how convincing he could be when he wanted to. And he really wanted to convince her right now. So after filling in his lungs with air, he proudly declared, "I love your freckles."

And then he kissed her.

On her freckles.

"How about that? Are you convinced now?" When he pulled back, he was grinning sheepishly with a furious blush.

Mukuro just owlishly blinked and softly murmured, "I like your lips."

"Huh? Where did that--"

And then she kissed him.

On the lips.

Mukuro had forgotten about her insecurity and instead let herself get lost in Makoto's reassuring kisses.


	30. Reason to Fight

In war, there is no meaning, there is only suffering and death.

There's an ongoing war in Japan and the stakes have gotten higher than when it began. In a desperate attempt to turn the tides and hopefully win and end the war, the country has imposed a regulation that states that all citizens in normal health and fall under the suspiciously low age requirement are to be automatically enlisted in the army. The local officials are to check each household and failure to comply is punishable by the law. As for what the punishment was, nobody dared try to find out when rumors about it spread.

And so it was under these circumstances that Mukuro found herself sitting in a plane heading for the frontlines of war. Although the air is filled with tension and the fear is so palpable that nobody dares break silence, she feels perfectly at ease. This may be the first war Japan has ever seen since the last one but this was not Mukuro's first war. She has fought in all sorts of wars at a younger age and has survived every last one without a single injury. That's why this war isn't so different from all the other ones she's fought in except this time she's fighting for her country rather than a mercenary.

The plane shakes a bit but nothing too alarming to be concerned about.

Her eyes discreetly scan the plane as she already makes a body count. Even if they weren't on the field, she could already tell who could survive and who won't. Those who aren't prepared to die are the ones most likely to die. She's seen the distinct look in the faces of corpses, both enemies and allies alike. She doesn't see it when she looks in the mirror. And though she has prepared herself to die, she is much more prepared to survive. That's why she always made it out unscathed. There's always another war for her to fight in and so she lives for that.

The plane shakes violently due to unexpected turbulence.

"Ah!" Someone gasps.

She doesn't know how it happened but her seatmate staggers forward as his seatbelt came loose. Before he could even get a head injury, her hand shoots forward and grabs him by the wrist, with calculated force she pulls him back to his seat and holds him there. The whole incident didn't even last for five seconds.

The person is still dazed in his seat but the shaking settles down. The plane falls back to heavy silence.

"Um..." Until he spoke. "T-Thank you for pulling me back." He stammered out of breath.

Mukuro just shrugs and keeps her sentences short. "No problem."

She thinks that it will end at that. That this conversation will be short and it will be their last because she's sure that he's one of those who won't make it to the trip back home. She doesn't even bother to glance at him because the less she knew about him, the less the number of faces of corpses that would haunt her. So she relaxes in her seat and closes her eyes and just waits for the signal when it is time to go.

But someone's words come sooner.

"Hey, um..." He begins nervously.

She cracks one eye open at him and in a flat tone, she asks, "What?"

He flashes her a sheepish look. "Sorry but... could you help me with the seatbelt?" He chuckles and scratches his head in awkwardness. "I can't seem to get it right."

She almost raises an eyebrow at him. Now that is an unusual request. She couldn't quite comprehend as to how a person could struggle with such an easy task but one look at his tangled seatbelt tells her just how much he was struggling with it. Without a word she reaches out and fixes it. She doesn't want to interact with him any more than she already has so she tries to close her eyes again.

But not before he showers her with gratitude.

"Thank you!" He says with face that is lit up by a smile.

A smile so bright that Mukuro can't seem to look away.

Her eyes are transfixed on his sincere grin and has it memorized enough to see it clearly even with her eyes shut. She knows it's nothing more than just a courteous smile for him but nonetheless it comes out so happily, so innocently, so naturally, that she wonders if he really is smiling at her. No one has ever shown her such a face and already she finds herself eager to see it another time. She wants to see that smile again.

She wants to protect that smile.

"If we get assigned together or if we ever meet again after this then I promise that I'll make sure to return the favor!" He continues with a voice full of hope.

She's almost convinced that this is just a lucid dream because there shouldn't be a person with this much optimism in this dreary circumstance.

"...There's no need for that." Her voice comes out small, surprised even that she spoke in the first place. Suddenly she wants this conversation to last longer.

"I know but I want to." His smile falters for a bit and she feels her heart plummet with it but he quickly picks himself back up. "At least with this, there's something to look forward to when I go out to fight."

She blinks, confused. "What do you mean by... something to look forward to?"

"Exactly what it means." He continues and there's a certain luster in his eyes that promised of determination. "I'm actually hoping for the war to end. That's why I'm here. Not just because I'm required to but also because this is a chance to make a difference. Or at least, I hope so." He explained with utmost sincerity. "I don't exactly know how much of a change I can make but I want to at least try. This war has gone on long enough so I'm hoping that I'll be able to do something to end it."

That was a lot to take in and she would never have guessed him to have such great hopes for such an awful war. It's a foolish dream and an even more foolish hope to have especially as a soldier on the frontlines but for some reason, she couldn't help but admire him. No, perhaps that isn't the right word. She doesn't even know this person and yet she has a feeling that she could trust him.

She wants to believe in him and his hope.

"That's my long-term goal basically." He then gave her another sheepish look as he admitted, "But until then, I have to hope for something in between, right? So I'm putting my hopes in you."

Her eyes widen in surprise at the foreign words addressed to her. "In... me?"

"Yes, in you." He seconded and then his smile widens as he confidently proclaims, "In us meeting."

She's too stunned to reply.

He doesn't look like he belongs here. Here on this plane filled with people being sent to their deaths. He doesn't look like he'll even last the first five minutes in the battlefield. And he knows it. But that doesn't stop him. He has more resolve than anyone else on this plane. He's afraid but fear doesn't paralyze him. In a war full of death and despair, he was a breath of hope.

And as Mukuro took in a deep breath, she had also found her voice. "Let's both survive this."

Maybe this war would be different, she thinks. And though she'll be fighting just like usual, she knows that somewhere in between, there's also something she wants to protect.


	31. Double Kill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are two oneshots in this chapter. They're unrelated so please enjoy them separately.

**(Extremely) Prepared for the Holidays**

It's their first christmas together as a couple and so far it's going great... except the firearms might be overdoing the decorations.

"Is all of this really necessary?" Makoto asks for the tenth time that day.

"Yes, it's for our protection." Mukuro answers matter-of-factly and continues to hang seemingly ordinary christmas lights. Don't let their colorful bulbs fool you for they're set to detonate anesthetic needles at the press of a button.

Makoto has never considered Santa Claus a big deal before but Mukuro thinks otherwise apparently. "You do know that he's just a legend. Actually, he's just a made-up character, I doubt he's real."

"We can't be too sure. Behind every legend is a story based on fact." She counters as she sets up more traps disguised as decorations around the windows.

"He's a Western concept. He barely has any presence in Japan." He counters even as he hands her the garlands that he's pretty sure is a trap that he doesn't want to know about.

"The man flies across the globe and goes through homes in a single night. If he wanted to, he could pay us a visit." She states while she checks the security of the smoke bombs and tear gases decorated as christmas ornaments.

"We don't even have a chimney. Where would he even enter?" He argues as if it's the most important fact.

"Obviously through the door or windows like any normal trespasser would." She smoothly answers as she adjusts the wreath on the door and adds the mistletoe with a built-in camera.

He sighs in defeat and just gives up entirely. There's no point talking her out of this not when they're already almost done with the decorations. "Please tell me you at least left the tree untouched."

"..." She quietly continues to tinker with the same decorations she's already checked.

"Seriously?" He almost sighs again. Is it too much to ask for ordinary non-lethal decorations for christmas? "Well could you at least tell me what it is."

"...Promise you won't get mad?" She almost shrinks from embarrassment and although he's still annoyed at her, he can't help but think that she looks cute.

"I promise I won't get mad." He even crosses over his heart, childish but so like him.

Shyly, Mukuro leans in to whisper and contrary to her red blush, Makoto instantly pales as he stammers, "You put in a bazooka?!"

It's their first christmas together and this holiday season has never been this exciting or dangerous.

* * *

**What's in a Name?**

Corpse Warblade is what her name literally translates to. Back when she was a kid, she called herself "Corpsey Mcwarblade" and to this day, she still tries to be edgy.

She still has this leftover habit of giving nicknames and one day Makoto stumbles upon this fact by accident.

"Have you seen Reaper?" She asks frantically.

To which he gives her a confused look and asks, "Who's Reaper?"

He later finds out that Reaper is actually the name she has for her favorite knife. He thinks it's adorable and even voices out his opinion which makes her blush furiously. He asked for any other weapons she has names of and he could have sworn it was like a lightbulb was switched on in the room because of how bright she looked. Granted it was a red tinted lightbulb because she was blushing but that's beside the point. She takes him to the "Armory" or the small closet where she keeps all of her weapons stored.

It's only after being introduced to her other weapons that he finds out that she likes to name in more than one language.

"Sah mat here is my trusted sniper." She proudly hold it up in her possession. "It's Turkish for checkmate."

"Rychlý is one of my oldest rifles." She says with a touch of nostalgia sifting through her voice. "It's Czech for fast."

"This is Raspršiti, the best shotgun that I have." She states and easily hefts it out. "Croatian for scatter."

She pulls out the smallest gun. "This micro-pistol is Biche." He looks almost scandalized at the name until she corrects his misconceptions. "French for doe."

"And this is щит." She says when she gestures to the bulletproof vest with a name that sounds like "sheet" but with her deadpan expression he suspects it's supposed to sound like "shit" instead. She sees the face he's making and she smiles, amused. "Don't worry. It's just Russian for shield."

He inspects the rest of the cabinet's contents and sees the smaller yet still deadly kinds of arsenal. "What about the discardable types of weapons? Do you also name them individually or just in general?"

"Just in general according to type." She pulls one out and explains, "This is a smoke bomb or as I like to call it Fantôme ou fantosme. It's French for phantom."

"It's a bit of a mouthful but I like the translation." It's a genuinely good name, he admits.

She puts it back and pulls out a different one. "This is Fantasme."

He looks at it and he can't quite tell the difference between this and the first one. "Oh, is that a smoke bomb too?"

"No, it's actually sleeping gas." She shakes her head. "It sounds close if you're not learned but it translates to fantasy." It's her most romantic name he's ever heard yet.

They go through her knife collection last.

"смерть." She points at the first one.

"Oh, that sounds different." He winces as he tries to think of which language it was but he honestly couldn't tell. It's unlike anything he's heard of. "What does that mean?"

"It's Russian." She answers with a small smile. "It translates to death."

"Interesting word choice..." Well he had to admit that it was fitting for a military knife although disturbing for the common citizen. He points at another. "How about that one?"

"Ölüm." She supplies.

"Is that another language?"

"It's Turkish." She nods. "It means death."

Huh, that's an odd coincidence. He doesn't let it bother him and points again. "And that one?"

"Mort." She doesn't even wait for him to ask. "It's French for death."

He feels like he's detecting a pattern here. "And this one?"

"Muerte." She answers and waits a beat before adding, "Spanish for death."

Yes, definitely a pattern here. He points again. "And this guy?"

"Tod." She says curtly.

He almost anticipates her to say it's death again but the normalcy in its name catches him off-guard. "Huh, that actually sounds like English and surprisingly ordinary."

She holds his gaze for a long moment. Until finally she continues, "It's actually German for death."

Ah, there's the pattern again. He should have known. "And this?"

"Faca." She carefully enunciates.

"Let me guess, it means death?" He says almost jokingly.

She shakes her head. "No, it's just Portugese for knife."

He pauses and blinks at his mistake. "Oh." Well that was... unexpected and embarrassing.

There's still one last knife and Makoto recognizes it as the one he gave to her as a gift.

"How about this one?" He says with a blush dusting on his cheeks. He shouldn't be so embarrassed about it but he can't help but feel shy still.

"Oh, that one..." Mukuro pauses far longer than she's supposed to and when she does speak up, it's barely above a whisper, "Ma...cutie." She doesn't meet his eyes and it takes all of his will just to stare at her in shock. They're both blushing madly.

And Makoto thinks that as much as he likes Mukuro's edgy naming sense, he likes the cuter ones too.


	32. What IF Mukuro met Komaru in Towa City?

Komaru just wanted to get out of her apartment but she was having regrets given the state of the outside world.

Just as soon as she broke free from her entrapment, a whole new nightmare welcomed her. Monokuma robots ravaged the city and slaughtered people wherever she went. Her legs kicked as she tried to run away from it all. Her eyes frantically searched for a safe hiding place but all she saw were corpses or people just about to be shredded into lifeless bodies. If she screamed, she couldn’t tell since her ears were already filled with the guttural shrieks of dying people. Even her own instincts screamed at her as she tried to save herself.

But what hope did she have against a slaughtering machine?

“Get away from me!” She yelled even though she knew it was useless talking to these things. Her whole frame trembled at her impending death as she was now surrounded by a whole flock of them. “Break!” She shouted as she shot one after another but where one fell, five more sprung in place from behind. She was overpowered. “No way…” She breathed and she could almost taste the despair in her mouth.

For such an ordinary girl, it seemed unfitting that she’d die by an extraordinary death. Slaughter was never fair.

The hoards closed in on her and she held onto her megaphone with a deathly grip. Tears streamed through her eyes and she furiously wiped them away for fear of her shots missing. They were close enough to lunge at her now and there was no way for her to clear a path for escape. So this was it then, she terrifyingly concluded. She braced herself for what she imagined to be excruciating pain that would last too long before she’d eventually die.

Except rather than pain, an explosion filled her hearing.

Then another. And another. A chain of explosions.

Cautiously, she opened her eyes and saw the hoards of monokumas thinning with every explosion. Something blurred flitted her vision too fast as it skidded around her and left a wake of bursting machines. It all happened too fast for her to comprehend what was happening. And just as soon as it started, it was over. All of the monokumas had fallen and all that was left standing was just her and her mysterious savior. A rather familiar figure in her eyes.

“Junko Enoshima?” Komaru asked uncertainly.

“Actually, it’s Mukuro Ikusaba.” She corrected her as she momentarily took off her wig.

“Mukuro?” She repeated. Her mind nagged her to recall where she had come across that name. Eventually, her eyes widened at the realization. “Mukuro as in big bro Makoto’s classmate?”

She nodded in confirmation and then fixed her wig again. One quick scan over Komaru told her that she was fine, at least physically, for them to continue. “Let’s go. It’s not safe to be out.”

“What’s happening? And what’s with the wig? What’s going on?” Komaru sputtered. Her mind was still racing from all that has happened.

Mukuro calmly regarded her. “Can you fight?”

Komaru blinked as her mind shut down on her. She was quiet for a suspiciously long while but it looked more like a consequence of shock. Her eyes searched Mukuro’s to find a sign of something only to confirm that she was serious. Komaru on the other hand was absolutely terrified at the prospect. She had just narrowly escaped death and this person was asking her for the impossible.

“You saw how I was. I was fighting for my life there! And losing!” She bit her lip from saying how she would have lost her life if Mukuro hadn’t intervened. “I’m just an ordinary girl. You fought way better than I could even dream of.”

She frowned. “It’s unfair to compare to me. I’m the SHSL Soldier.”

Oh, Komaru thought. Now she remembered. She knew her brother got into Hope’s Peak Academy where only the talented could attend but sometimes she forgot that despite her brother’s averageness, he got in through a lottery. So that meant that all of his classmates were crazy talented including Mukuro. She wondered if any of her brother’s luck had passed on to her given how time her assistance arrived.

“Then why are you asking me if I could fight when clearly you’re more fit for the job?” She questioned her.

“Because fighting and protecting are two different things.” Mukuro looked down, refusing to meet her eyes. “As much of a great fighter I am, I still can’t guarantee that I can protect you at all times. I’m more used to working alone so I’ll be leaving your side to attack more  often than not.”

Komaru felt her heart rate rising. She interpreted her words as her leaving and it scared her to the point of tears. She couldn’t handle being left unguarded at such crisis. “But I’m no fighter either. I can’t do anything that amazing or dangerous. I’m sorry.” She shakily admitted in between her sobs. “I’m sorry. I’m useless.”

Mukuro willed herself not to run away at the sight of her breaking down. She drew in a breath and carefully composed her words. “You’re right. Maybe that was wrong of me to push my expectations on you.” Her hand wanted to reach out to comfort her but she drew it into a tight fist instead. She couldn’t do it. She didn’t know how to do comfort anyways. “He’s better than me at this.” She muttered to herself and Komaru had a hunch that she wasn’t supposed to hear that.

Mukuro’s head snapped up and looked at her head on as she declared in a louder voice, “But I don’t think you’re useless at all.”

“What are you talking about? I’m practically deadweight. Just admit it, I’m useless.” Komaru retorted dejectedly.

“You’ve got that wrong.” She tentatively objected. “Let me rephrase my question earlier.” She took a deep breath and focused. Her gaze was unflinching and commanding. “Can you defend?”

“Defend?” She questioned, unsure where she was going with this.

She nodded. “Rather than fight, I need you to be capable to defend.” She paused for her to absorb that and then continued, “You don’t need to put yourself at the front and into the danger. All I’m asking is for you to defend yourself if ever anything gets past by me.”

“And what about you? Don’t you need me to cover for you too?” She hesitantly asked.

Mukuro smirked. “You saw how I fought, ya? I can handle myself just fine.”

The unexpected sass seemed to snap Komaru out of her frightened state. “Well at least one of us is confident.” She joked and for the first time since they met, a smile broke free on her face. “Thanks, Mukuro. I kind of forgot to thank you for saving my life back there.”

“Don’t mention it. I should have been here sooner anyways.” She informed her. “I’m part of the rescue group for the hostages held in the building that you were in.”

“Hostages? You mean it wasn’t just me trapped in an apartment?” She felt her stomach flip at that.

“No, there were others.” She shook her head. “And of course, something just had to happen on the day we pick you up. We should have known better that she would pull off something like this.”

“She? Who’s she?” Komaru asked, confused at the new pieces of information being casually dropped everywhere.

“It’s a long story.” She brushed her inquiries. “Let’s have your brother tell you the rest when you meet him.”

“My brother?” And then she suddenly remembers with full clarity that she hadn’t seen her brother in so long. “Makoto! Oh my gosh, is he okay? Is he here too? Oh, no I don’t think he’ll survive on his own out here. We gotta get to him fast!”

“Calm down. That’s where we’re going anyways.” Mukuro said and even gently patted Komaru’s head in an effort to soothe her. Her obvious concern was reminiscent of her brother’s. She smiled faintly. “He’s worried about you too. And you can tell him that you’re fine when we meet up with him.”

“Alright, that sounds like a great plan.” Komaru beamed at her, already building confidence.

“More like a promise I plan to keep.” Mukuro murmured to herself out of earshot as she recalled promising something similar to Makoto. With renewed conviction, she lead the way. “Let’s go, Komaru. Stay on guard.”

Komaru just wanted to get out of her apartment and coincidentally, Mukuro just wanted her to be safe. The city had transformed into a war zone as the two fought their way out of it.

Because if there was a way out then they were going to find it together.


	33. Killing Your Crush

Mukuro had always obeyed Junko’s orders and this one would be no different.

She supposed that it was bound to happen at some point given her sister’s failures at trying to kill him. It was amazing as to how long he had managed to elude her attempts with sheer luck. It astounded her that someone was capable of hindering Junko’s plans and maybe she felt just a bit proud that it was Makoto. Or maybe she shouldn’t. After all, she was just ordered to kill him in her sister’s stead. It should’ve been easy since she’d killed plenty before and she had the ability to kill with her eyes closed.

Too bad he also had the ability to persist in the back of her eyelids.

To be fair, she had tried different approaches before. She sniped him from the far ends of hallways but something would always block the bullet at the last second or someone would run into him or he’d trip out of nowhere just in time to dodge the bullet. And he’d be too oblivious about the bullet that had nearly lodged his head that it was almost cute. She never did report that last detail.

A trap had been set or rather, several of them. Rather than creating an opening, she patiently waited for him to fall in step into his doom. In war, it was traps that slaughtered more men than bullets. So she hid her presence as she watched with anticipation whenever he was near. He tripped them. All of them and all at once which wasn’t supposed to be possible but a flying shoe had rendered the odds. He should have been decimated by the traps individually, successively, if only they didn’t cancel each other in an odd stroke of luck.

He walked away unscathed. Again oblivious and again cute. He caught whiff of smoke which made him sneezed- adorably, might she add- but other than that, he continued about his business to retrieve his far flung shoe. Mukuro just stared at his form in awe. How he could avoid all that and be oblivious at the same time was beyond her. Nonetheless, he was a challenge to her mission.

Once she realized that long-range wouldn’t cut it because far too many failures supported this theory, she decided that she’d have to do it at point blank in the end.

There were just too many factors involved when putting distance between her target. At least at near proximity, she was in her element. This was her zone and all who entered her territory could be considered dead if she chose so. She had no doubt that he had no defensive skills in him and even his luck should be worthless under her sheer fighting power. This was her specialty after all. If there’s anything she was proud of then it was her talent for killing especially when it came to brute force.

Now if only she could get close to him enough without making contact.

“Hi, Mukuro!” He smiled as soon as he saw her.

And that’s all it took to compromise her mission.

“Uh, hi…” She shyly looked away as soon as their eyes met. Dammit, this was why she wanted to avoid contact in the first place. Whatever carefully laid out plan she had was suddenly thrown away along with her caution and whatever chance of success she had.

If Junko thought Makoto’s luck was a threat then Mukuro thought that his smile was downright fatal.

“What are the odds that you’d be awake at this hour too? I guess I wasn’t the only one who wanted a midnight snack.” He chuckled as they walked at a leisurely pace.

“Dinner wasn’t exactly filling.” She curtly supplied. Her brain was working overtime as she reconfigured her approach at his assassination.

“Yeah, let’s never put Hagakure on cooking duty ever again.” He winced at the memory.

One second. A lull in the conversation. Deep breath.

That was all it took to prepare herself for her next move. While it’s true that his smile had rattled her, she hardly lost any conviction from it. Mukuro was a professional mercenary, a talented soldier, a ruthless killer, and a loving sister. She placed Junko above all and her orders were absolute. It didn’t matter that Makoto had been the only person who genuinely treated her like an actual person. It didn’t matter that his smile was the first sincere one she had ever received. It didn’t matter that she may have held the slightest hint of affection for him and his charming personality.

It didn’t matter because in the next second, she attacked.

No fancy moves were necessary after all, he didn’t even get to see what was coming to him. With one swift blow to the back of his head, he fell unconscious just like that. He almost crumpled to the floor if she hadn’t caught him. Her guard was still up even as she held him like this. It was just so easy, too easy in fact, that she wondered how her sister could have failed when she was the superior one. There must be some trick left. The kill would be rather anti-climactic if it ended just like that. Searching, her eyes swept over his form.

He looked so peaceful and yet vulnerable at the same time. He was out before he could even become aware of what was happening. She had no doubt that in his mind, he was still believing that he was in her safe company because otherwise, he wouldn’t have such a carefree sleeping face. She gently brushed his bangs aside. He had no idea that she was just toying with his life right now.

She stared at him for one long moment, memorizing his final moments. This would be his end. She couldn’t risk any complications his luck might push if she tried to transfer his body somewhere else to kill him cleanly. His death would have to be here and quick. She laid him down with her body anchoring heavily on him just in case he woke up and tried to escape. Her hands didn’t even tremble as one covered his mouth to muffle his screams while the other pulled out a knife and angled it at his throat with precision. She held it there with bated breath as one final thought crossed her mind.

If there was anything Mukuro would miss then it was Makoto’s smile.

As a sort of final rite for him or perhaps more for herself, she pulled away her hand, half-expecting to see a smile on his face. She didn’t put her hopes up since there’s no way people that smile in their sleep actually existed. But to her surprise, they did exist and Makoto was one of them. His smile was soft and barely even there but it stayed. Unlike the dazzling bright ones he’d normally wear or the shy reserved ones he’d polish, this one was different. Serene, natural, at peace. Her gripped on her knife tightened at the sight.

Mukuro’s hand returned to cover that smile, that innocent smile which mocked her.

And then in one swift movement, she struck.

Her lips kissed the back of her hand right on top of where his lips would have been.

In the end, Mukuro was unable to rob Makoto of that smile.

Before she could kill him, she had to kill her feelings first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for joining me on this ship. It's been fun and you have been one of my more responsive audience (seriously, I get so much feedback from you guys you have no idea how reassuring that is). From the bottom of my heart, thank you.


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